An Alternative Approach to Determining Metabolic Syndrome Component Cutoffs in Children and Adolescents Using...

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increasing in children and adolescents. Although some diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome exist, further research is needed to determine appropriate age-, sex-, and race-specific cutoffs for each component. Health examinations were conducted in 1,679 children aged 6-15 years in 9 regions of Japan. Participants were divided into 3 age groups for each sex: 6-8, 9-11, and 12-15 years. For metabolic syndrome components in each group, inverse cumulative percentile graphs were drawn and approximated by 3 regression lines using segmented regression analysis. The intersection of each regression line was defined as the breakpoint, and the measured value corresponding to the breakpoint percentile as the breakpoint value. Breakpoint values for waist circumference were age dependent at approximately 60, 70, and 80 cm for ages 6-8, 9-11, and 12-15 years, respectively. Breakpoint values for blood pressure were age- and/or sex dependent, while those for triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose were neither age nor sex dependent. Based on these results, we proposed new cutoffs for diagnosing metabolic syndrome in Japanese children and adolescents. Breakpoint values obtained by segmented regression analysis on inverse cumulative percentile graphs can be useful for determining metabolic syndrome component cutoffs in children and adolescents.