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Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Metabolic syndrome and risk factors in children: a risk score proposal
Larissa Pereira Lourenço1, Poliana Cristina de Almeida Fonseca Viola2, Sylvia do Carmo Castro Franceschini3
1Department of Nutrition and Health, Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. larissapereira120@yahoo.com.br.
Insights
A new continuous risk score effectively identifies Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in young children. This score shows high sensitivity and reasonable specificity for predicting MS in children aged 4-7 years.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Metabolic Health
- Biostatistics
Background:
- International consensus on defining Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in children is lacking, hindering prevalence estimation.
- Pediatric MS is a growing concern, necessitating reliable diagnostic tools for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in children aged 4-7 years.
- To establish a reliable cutoff point for a continuous MS risk score in this pediatric age group.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 402 children (4-7 years) was conducted.
- A continuous MS risk score was developed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on waist circumference, HDL, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
- Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cutoff score for MS prediction.
Main Results:
- MS risk scores increased progressively with the number of risk factors and differed between boys and girls (p < 0.001).
- Median MS scores were significantly higher in children with MS (0.5237) compared to those without (-0.0486) (p < 0.001).
- Optimal cutoff scores for predicting MS were >0.09 for 4-5 year olds (100% sensitivity, 72.67% specificity) and >0.14 for 6-7 year olds (100% sensitivity, 64.65% specificity).
Conclusions:
- The developed continuous risk score accurately predicts Metabolic Syndrome in children.
- The score demonstrates high sensitivity and reasonable specificity, offering a valuable tool for pediatric MS assessment.
Introduction/Objective:
The lack of international consensus on the definition of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in the pediatric population makes it difficult to estimate its prevalence. In this study, we intend to identify MS prevalence and a cutoff point based on a continuous score in children aged four to seven years.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 402 children (4-7 years) monitored by the Lactation Support Program (PROLAC). A continuous MS risk score was assessed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In order to calculate the score, the following MS risk factors were considered: Waist circumference (WC), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Triglycerides (TG), Blood Pressure (BP) and Blood sugar. Using a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve, the cutoff point for predicting MS risk based on continuous score was evaluated.
Results:
A progressive increase in MS scores was observed according to increase in the number of risk factors. This increase was also observed when comparing boys and girls (p < 0.001). In the absence of MS, the median score among the children was -0.0486 (-0.2929-0.2151). For children with MS, the median score was 0.5237 (0.2286-0.7104) (p < 0.001). The best cutoff score for predicting MS in children aged four to five years was >0.09 (100% sensitivity and specificity 72.67%). For children aged six to seven years, this value was >0.14 (100% sensitivity and 64.65% specificity).
Conclusion:
The calculated continuous risk score can predict MS with good accuracy and high sensitivity and reasonable specificity.
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