Advances in diagnosis and treatment of metabolic syndrome in children / 国际儿科学杂志

ABSTRACT

In the last decades,the increasing rate of obesity in children and adolescents worldwide has led to the onset in pediatric age of metabolic syndrome,a disease commonly associated to adulthood.The concept of metobolic syndrome has existed for at least 80 years.The metabolic syndrome is also known as syndrome X,the insulin resistance syndrome,and the deadly quartet.Central obesity,dyslipidaemia,hyperglycaemia,and hypertension are typical features of metabolic syndrome that may be associated with type 2 diabetes,cardiovascular disease,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,and many other clinical conditions.Urbanization,unhealthy diets,and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to increase the prevalence of childhood obesity,particularly in developing countries.Thus preventing and curing metabolic syndrome in pediatric patients is becoming an urgent need for public health.While diagnostic criteria and therapy of metabolic syndrome in adults are very well defined,there is no consensus on the definition of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents as well as on healing approaches (i.e.physical exercise,dietary regimens,and medications).This article reviews the advances in diagnostic criteria and therapeutic strategies of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.