Assessing and Managing the Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of cardiovascular risk factors that are associated with insulin resistance and are driven by underlying factors, including visceral obesity, systemic inflammation, and cellular dysfunction. These risks increasingly begin in childhood and adolescence and are associated with a high likelihood of future chronic disease in adulthood. Efforts should be made at both recognition of this metabolic risk, screening for potential associated Type 2 diabetes, and targeting affected individuals for appropriate treatment with an emphasis on lifestyle modification. Effective interventions have been linked to reductions in MetS-and in adults, reductions in the severity of MetS have been linked to reduced diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: adolescent; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome; obesity; pediatric; risk.

Figure 1

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adolescents by sex and race ethnicity. Data are for adolescent participants age 12–19 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2012 as reported in Lee et al. [31].

Figure 2

Geographic variation in MetS prevalence among US adolescents. Data are for adolescents age 12–19 years from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2014. (From, DeBoer et al. used with permission.) [45].