Metabolic profil in a group of obese Moroccan children enrolled in schools in the city of Rabat

INTRODUCTION: To determine the metabolic profile in a group of obese children in Morocco. METHODS: The BMI, the waist circumference, the blood pressure and metabolic parameters in 73 children (37 obese and 36 normal) were compared. RESULTS: 80% of obese children had abdominal obesity (p <0.0001). For systolic blood pressure among children who have a higher value than the 95th percentile, 85.7% were obese and 14.3% children are normal children. For diastolic blood pressure, 83.34% of obese children had higher diastolic blood pressure values in the 95th percentile and 16.6% of normal children have a higher value than the 95th percentile (p=0.013). No obese child had hyperglycemia. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 21.6%. CONCLUSION: Obesity is number one risk of cardiovascular disease for children. Early detection can help for an appropriate care.