Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Diagnosed by Three Different Criteria in School-Aged Children from Rural and Urban Areas of Northwest Mexico

Abstract

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) does not justify the evaluation of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children aged less than 10 years, unless they have a family history of risk factors. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Northwest of Mexico has increased in recent decades, making it possible to consider that MetS is already present in this group of population. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in children aged 6 to 9 years living in rural (RA) or urban (UA) areas of Northwest of Mexico. A secondary objective was to find adequate criteria to diagnose the prevalence of MS in children. Methods: Participated 268 school-aged children in a random-selected cross sectional study. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurement were performed, and biochemical indicators were analyzed. MetS was defined as the presence of three or more risk factors and diagnosed using three different criteria. One of them according to what was proposed by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) for children and two additional criteria proposed by this study considering suitable cutoffs for age for lipids and blood pressure. Results: The general prevalence of MetS according to the three different criteria used was as follows.1) IDF criteria, 4.1%; 2) using cutoffs suggested for age for lipids and blood pressure and taking into account waist circumference as a criterion for MetS, 6.3%; and 3) cutoffs suggested for age, lipids and blood pressure without considering waist circumference as a criterion for MetS, 10.4%. Children living in the RA with a history of obesity and cardiovascular disease had higher waist circumference, triglycerides, and very low-density lipoprotein-C, and children from the UA had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and higher levels of glucose and insulin. Conclusion: MetS is present in children aged 6 to 9 years in the northwest region of Mexico, with higher proportions of the syndrome observed in overweight and obese children. The second criteria used in this study could be the most suitable for diagnosis of MetS, and the third criteria, for children at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus associated to heredity factors.