LAUSR

Background and Aim Childhood obesity poses a serious threat for the development of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) later in life. Nowdays we are able to recognize metabolic and vascular pathology at a discrete, completely curable stage and long before clinical signs of metabolic syndrome and CVD. Increased arterial stiffness is a good indicator of initial intimal atherosclerotic lesions, easily detected with measuring of pulse wave velocity (PWv) and augmentation index (AIx). Atherosclerosis is initiated and promoted by disturbed lipid metabolism. The increased level of serum free fatty acids (FFA) is supposed to be an early sign of imminent metabolic disturbance. The aim of our study was to assess and compare the metabolic and arterial health in a sample of normal weight, overweight and obese school children from north-west Slovenia. Materials and Methods 81 healthy, metabolic syndrome free school children aged 11–16 years participated in our study. According to the standard deviation score of body mass index (SDS BMI), the underweight represented 1 (1.2%), the normal weight 38 (46.9%), the overweight 22 (27.2%)and the obese 20 (24.7%) of the sample. The AIx, PWv, free fatty acids, standard lipidogram and serum glucose (GLU) were recorded. Results In the group of overweight children (SDS BMI 1–2) compared to normal weight (SDS BMI -2 to 1) no differences in arterial nor metabolic health parameters were recorded. In the obese children (SDS BMI >2) a significantly hiegher PWv (p<0.01) triglycerides (TRG) (p <0.01), the ratio between TRG and hiegh density lipoproteins (HDL) (p<0.001), the TRG/low density lipoproteins (LDL) (p<0.01), FFA (p<0.05) and lower HDL (p<0.01) than in normal weight were found. Conclusion Despite the detected increased arterial stiffness of aorta and signs of metabolic disturbance, the obese children were still free of clinical signs of metabolic syndrome. Our results could be important for planning of preventive and therapeutic meassures of overweight and obese children. According to this study, preventive activities should be provided to the overweight children, to maintain their arterial and metabolic health, while obesity has to be cured promptly to recover the metabolic stability and to cure initial atherosclerotic changes.