Pediatric metabolic syndrome: a growing threat

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) is high among obese children and adolescents and increases with the severity of the obesity, and with central adiposity in particular. In addition, adverse biochemical markers of cardiovascular risk are already present in this population. The metabolic syndrome is an important risk factor for subsequent development of type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the key clinical implication of a diagnosis of MS is identification of a patient needing aggressive lifestyle modification focused on weight reduction and increased physical activity. In contrast to the data from adults, long-term cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents with the MS has not been clearly determined.