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Research Finds One Million Teens Have Metabolic Syndrome
One Million Teens at Risk for Diabetes and Heart Disease
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Stephen Cook, M.D., pediatric
research fellow, Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong |
Close to one million adolescents in the U.S.—or four percent—are
affected by a cluster of cardiac risk factors known as metabolic syndrome
that is proven to lead to the early onset of diabetes or heart disease,
according to a study published in the August 2003 issue of Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Researchers reviewed data on 2,430
adolescents ages 12 to 19 from a national survey to find how many of
them exhibited at least three of the five factors that characterize metabolic
syndrome--high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol,
high blood sugar, and abdominal obesity. The study, the first to look
at this issue in teens, also showed that some factors might be more prevalent
among certain racial groups.
According to Stephen Cook, M.D., lead author, and Michael Weitzman, M.D.,
senior author and director of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Center
for Child Health Research and professor of pediatrics at the University
of Rochester, the study indicates that at least four percent of all U.S.
adolescents and 30 percent of all overweight adolescents met the criteria
for the metabolic syndrome.
These results are significant because in adults, obesity and the presence
of the cardiovascular risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome,
such as high blood pressure and trigylcerides, frequently lead to the
development of Type II diabetes and premature coronary heart disease.
Today, more than 20 percent of adults are affected by the metabolic syndrome.
Before this study there was no national estimate of the number of adolescents
with metabolic syndrome, or information about which groups were most
susceptible.
"With this new information, when doctors see adolescent patients
who are overweight, they will know to look for signs of metabolic syndrome,
and to aggressively work with the patient to promote a healthier diet
and lifestyle," Weitzman said.
Obesity causes approximately 300,000 deaths a year and costs an estimated
$117 billion annually in direct and indirect costs. It is approaching
epidemic status in the United States, with almost one-third of adults
considered obese according to their body mass index (BMI), a 61 percent
increase since 1991.
Adolescents are also becoming heavier, with 15 percent of all adolescents
considered overweight, up from 11 percent in 1994. This new study points
to a new cause for concern for obese adolescents, due to obesity's
now documented association with metabolic syndrome. The study showed
that 73 percent of adolescents with metabolic syndrome are overweight.
The financial impact of metabolic syndrome may be nearly as threatening
as its health risks, if teens with the syndrome develop diabetes or heart
disease as adults.
"Diabetes is a chronic and expensive disease, and if a growing number
of adolescents develop it as adults, it could have huge financial impact
on our nation's healthcare system," Cook, a research fellow
in pediatrics at Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, said.
The study also looked at the association of race with metabolic syndrome
and discovered that certain racial groups have a greater prevalence for
certain risk factors. White adolescents had the highest rate of high
lipids, or fatty acids, in the bloodstream at 25.5 percent, Mexican American
adolescents had the highest rate of abdominal obesity at 13 percent,
and black adolescents had the highest rate of elevated blood pressure
at 6.2 percent.
"Now that we know how large the problem is and who is most affected
by it, we can investigate what can be done to preserve the health of
this high-risk group of adolescents," Cook added.
The research study is based on the National Health and Nutritional Examination
Survey that took place from 1988-1994. Cook suspects that the overall
number of teens with metabolic syndrome could now be as high as seven
percent, based on a known 30 percent increase in overweight teens since
that time.
The study was funded through a grant from the University of Rochester
Medical Center, and modified its definition of metabolic syndrome from
the definition for adults outlined in the Third Report of the National
Cholesterol Education Program.
# # #
For more media inquiries, contact:
Germaine Reinhardt
(585) 275-6517
germaine_reinhardt@urmc.rochester.edu
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