Association between the FTO SNP rs9939609 and Metabolic Syndrome in Chilean Children.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of obesity in children has raised the incidence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in this age group. Given the short- and long-term health impact of MetS, it is essential to prevent its onset by detecting its main triggers. Besides, genetic factors play an essential role in influencing which individuals within a population are most likely to develop obesity in response to a particular environment. In this regard, a common variation in the FTO gene is reproducibly associated with BMI and obesity from childhood and the genetic load has been linked to several cardiovascular risk factors, highlighting the FTO single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the relationship between the FTO SNP rs9939609 and MetS. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 220 children from the Biobío region (Chile). MetS diagnosis was established through the modified Cook criteria, using prevalence ratios, COR curves, and linear regressions to determine its association with MetS and its components. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS was significantly increased among carriers of the risk allele (A): TT, 20.2%; TA, 25.4%; AA, 44.7% (p = 0.006). Also, the presence of A was associated with altered MetS-related variables. CONCLUSIONS: The FTO SNP rs9939609 was associated with a raised prevalence of MetS among A allele carriers, and was higher in the homozygous genotype (AA).

An Approach to Early Detection of Metabolic Syndrome through Non-Invasive Methods in Obese Children.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) has a high prevalence in children, and its presence increases in those with a high BMI. This fact confirms the need for early detection to avoid the development of other comorbidities. Non-invasive variables are presented as a cost-effective and easy to apply alternative in any clinical setting. AIM: To propose a non-invasive method for the early diagnosis of MetS in overweight and obese Chilean children. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 221 children aged 6 to 11 years. We carried out multivariate logistic regressions, receiver operating characteristic curves, and discriminant analysis to determine the predictive capacity of non-invasive variables. The proposed new method for early detection of MetS is based on clinical decision trees. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS was 26.7%. The area under the curve for the BMI and waist circumference was 0.827 and 0.808, respectively. Two decision trees were calculated: the first included blood pressure (≥104.5/69 mmHg), BMI (≥23.5 Kg/m2) and WHtR (≥0.55); the second used BMI (≥23.5 Kg/m2) and WHtR (≥0.55), with validity index of 74.7% and 80.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Early detection of MetS is possible through non-invasive methods in overweight and obese children. Two models (Clinical decision trees) based on anthropometric (non-invasive) variables with acceptable validity indexes have been presented. Clinical decision trees can be applied in different clinical and non-clinical settings, adapting to the tools available, being an economical and easy to measurement option. These methods reduce the use of blood tests to those patients who require confirmation.