Evaluation of Some Early Inflammatory Markers in Obese Children

Background : Obesity affects both children and adults and is a major burden on world health. Focusing on childhood obesity is crucial to preventing its problems and further development as adults. Around the world, the prevalence of this nutritional condition among children has risen to alarming levels. Aim and objectives : To evaluate interleukin 6 (IL6) as a predictive in fl ammatory cytokine and its relation to BMI and lipid pro fi le, in obese and overweight children identifying those more likely to develop further complications, and also to assess the correlation between highly sensitive C-reactive protein as an in fl ammatory marker and obesity. The study also aims to evaluate the usability of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) in the detection of subclinical in fl ammation in obese children. Patients and methods : Case e control study best describes this research. Ninety kids of both sexes participated in the study; their ages ranged from 6 to 12 years. The study was carried out on outpatients and inpatients at the Pediatric Department at Al-Zahraa University Hospital. Results : Among the groups that were compared, there was a discernible dissimilarity in anthropometric measurements, triceps skinfold thickness, correlation between BMI and (PLR, NLR, IL6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) and glycated hemoglobin, and lipid pro fi le except for low-density lipoprotein. Conclusion : Children who are overweight or obese tend to have higher NLR and PLR ratios than children who are a healthy weight. Children who are overweight or obese have higher levels of in fl ammatory mediators including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and IL6 compared with the healthy