Nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors in pediatric metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Objective: To study the relationships between nontraditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and components of the metabolic syndrome in Native Canadian children, a population at risk of future CV disease.

Study design: CV risk factors were evaluated in a population-based study of a Canadian Oji-Cree community, involving 236 children aged 10 to 19 years.

Results: Using an age- and sex-specific case definition, 18.6% of the children met criteria for pediatric metabolic syndrome. As the number of metabolic syndrome component criteria increased, C-reactive protein, leptin, and ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 levels rose (all P < .0001) and adiponectin concentration decreased (P = .0006). Principal factor analysis using both traditional and nontraditional CV risk factors revealed 5 underlying core traits, defined as follows: adiposity, lipids/adiponectin, inflammation, blood pressure, and glucose.

Conclusions: Nontraditional CV risk factors accompany the accrual of traditional risk factors early in the progression to pediatric metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, inclusion of these factors in factor analysis suggests that 5 core traits underlie the early development of an enhanced CV risk factor profile in Native children.