Mediciones de adiposidad intraabdominal por ultrasonido y factores asociados con riesgo cardiovascular en niños obesos / Ultrasound measurements of intra-abdominal adiposity and factors associated with cardiovascular risk in obese children

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors are commonly present in obese children. Aim: To evaluate the association among radiological measurements of intra-abdominal adipose tissue, and cardiovascular risk factors, in prepuberal obese children. Patients and Methods: We evaluated 30 obese (body mass index > p95) children aged 6 to 12 years (15 males). Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured. Subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat thickness and fat area were measured by ultrasound (US) and computed tomography. Serum insulin, glucose and lipid profile were measured in a fasting blood sample. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was calculated as an index of insulin resistance. Results: There was a significant correlation between US intra-abdominal fat thickness and HOMA (r = 0.47, p < 0.01), serum triglycerides (r = 0.46, p < 0.05) and with positive criteria for metabolic syndrome (r = 0.66, p < 0.01). A receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed that, above a cut-off of 45 mm for intra-abdominal fat thickness, US was able to identify insulin resistance with a sensibility and specificity of 79 and 69 percent respectively and metabolic syndrome with sensibility and specificity of 100 and 67 percent respectively. US and computed tomography measurements for intra-abdominal fat thickness were significantly correlated (r= 0.62, p < 0.01). Conclusions: US measurements of intra-abdominal fat thickness identify obesity-associated damage in childhood. Age-specific measurements of intra-abdominal adipose tissue may improve the detection power of this approach.

Prevalencia de trastornos del desarrollo en consultorios de mediano riesgo del Hospital Garrahan / Prevalence of developmental disorders in patients seen at the aoutpatient clinic of the Garrahan Hospital

Los trastornos del desarrollo son problemas relevantes y de gran impacto para la familia y la sociedad. Según Glascoe aproximadamente el 15-18 por ciento de los niños en Estados Unidos tienen alteración del desarrollo o de la conducta. Los datos en países en vías de desarrollo son muy escasos. Objetivos. Determinar la prevalencia de trastornos del desarollo (TD) en niños de 1 año a 5 años, 11 meses y 29 días que asisten al consultorio de Mediano Riesgo (MR) del hospital de Pediatría Juan P. Garrahan. diferenciar y caracterizar a los niños con trastorno del desarrollo evidente o sospechoso. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de corte transversal, prospectivo y descriptivo realizado entre 07/2007 y 03/2008. Se incluyeron pacientes de 1 año a 5 años 11 meses y 29 días que consultaron al sector de Mediano Riesgo con trastornos del desarrollo evidente o sospechoso por evaluación clínica asistemática o presencia de factores de riesgo. Los evidentes fueron derivados para evaluación especifica del desarrollo. A los sospechosos se les realizó un interrogatorio del desarrollo y se les administró la prueba de pesquisa PRUNAPE. Resultados: Sobre un total de 922 pacientes elegidos al azar, el 45.5 por ciento (N=420) fueron incluidos por presentar alteraciones evidentes o sospechosas de trastornos del desarrollo para la población elegida en ese período fue del 20 por ciento (N=186) para los evidentes y 17.5 por ciento (N=161) para los sospechosos. Del grupo de pacientes sospechosos (N=161), el 62.2 por ciento (N=100) no pasó la prueba de pesquisa o presentó algún tipo de trastorno de conducta o disfluencia, que requirió intervención terapéutica orientada por el pediatra. Cuando la sospecha fue de los padres (N=20): un 75 por ciento falló en la PRUNAPE (N=15), un niño presentó trastorno de la conducta que requirió intervención terapéutica (N=1) y un niño disfluencia o trartamudez (N=1).

Adiposidad visceral y su asociación con lípidos séricos e insulinemis en adolescentes obesas / Visceral adiposity and its association with serum lipids in female obese teenagers

Background: Increased visceral or abdominal adipose tissue in children and adults is strongly associated with metabolic and a variety of chronic diseases. Aim: To study the association between visceral or external body measurements of adiposity with blood lipids, glucose and insulin levels, in obese female adolescents. Material and methods: In a cross-sectional study, 47 obese female adolescents (body mass index (BMI) >95th percentile) aged 10 to 15 years, were analyzed. Weight, height, BMI, Tanner pubertal stages, skinfold thickness, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting and 120 min post prandial blood glucose, serum insulin, and lipid profile were studied. Visceral fat was assessed by computed tomography at the L4-L5 level, measuring the fat area or the length of a straight drawn line between the spine and the internal border of the rectus abdominus muscle. Results: No association between lipid profile and BMI or external body measurements (skinfold thickness, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio) was observed. Total serum cholesterol >170 mg/dL was positively associated with the straight line over 63 mm (a cut-off obtained by ROC analysis (RR 2.64; 1.15-6.08). This association was statistically significant in girls in Tanner I + II (n =21; Fisher, p <0.023), but not with Tanner III + IV (n =26) stages. Increased cholesterol (>170 mg/dL) was also positively associated with a serum insulin >17 uU/mL in the Tanner I + II group (Fisher p<0.05), but not with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA). Conclusions: No external body measurement of adiposity was associated to increased serum cholesterol in these obese female adolescents. Increased total cholesterol (>170 mg/dL) was associated with visceral fat (evaluated through the straight line spina-rectus abdominus muscle), and also with a serum insulin >17 uU/ml in those teenagers with Tanner I or II pubertal stages.

Panarteritis nudosa cutánea (PANC.) / Cutaneous Periarteritis nodosa (CPN.)

Presentamos y comentamos dos nuevos casos de panarteritis nudosa predominante cutánea, (uno de ellos asociado a Hepatitis B y el otro a una Hipertensión arterial severa que obligó a descartar una panarteritis nudosa sistémica con compromiso renal