Dyslipidemia in Iranian overweight and obese children

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency and patterns of dyslipidemia in overweight and obese children and to determine the extent of blood lipid abnormality in overweight and obese children. METHODS: A prospective matched case control study on 230 overweight and obese children and adolescents (body mass index [BMI] > 85th percentile) aged 4 to 18 years undertaken at the outpatient endocrine clinic of the Childrens’ Hospital at Tabriz University between 2006–2008. This study was conducted to compare the frequency of abnormal plasma lipid levels in overweight and obese children compared with 50 nonobese children (BMI = 50th–85th percentile). RESULTS: The total frequency of dyslipidemia was 69.58%. The prevalence of dyslipidemia increased with severity of obesity and reached 76.9% in the severely obese (P < 0.005). High triglycerides was the most common dyslipidemia in combination (26.08%) and in isolation (18.6%). There was a significant difference in mean of triglycerides between the severely obese and other groups (P < 0.004). CONCLUSION: In the present study, dyslipidemia is more common in severely obese children and the most common component of dyslipidemia is a high triglyceride level.