engleski

Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Croatian Adolescents

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the most common metabolic disorder, a constellation of symptoms associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2). Its main components are atherogenic dyslipidaemia (i.e., an increased level of triglycerides and a lower level of HDL), hypertension, insulin resistance, and obesity. In recent years, significant concern has been expressed regarding the presence of MetS and its components in adolescents. The situation is even more complex when dealing with children, because of the lack of consensus about the MetS diagnosis in infancy that could be accepted by the whole scientific community. For example, the International Diabetes Federation does not recommend the diagnosis of MetS in children under the age of ten ; however, it suggests monitoring its components as risk factors (primarily the abdominal circumference) in cases of family history with MetS, DMT2, dyslipidaemia, heart disease, hypertension, and/or obesity. On the other hand, according to the 2008 studies by Cook et al. and Lee et al., MetS was found in 24% to 51 % of overweight young people in the developed countries. As well as the overall Croatian population, Croatian adolescents differ in their dietary and lifestyle habits depending on their place of living. Although the number of studies is rising, there is still a general lack of data on the frequency of MetS and its components among. adolescents in Croatia. In 2011, a Croatian survey conducted by Jurefa et al. detected increased waist circumference and increased blood pressure in 5.4% of boys and 4.1 % girls aged 16 to 18 years. The importance of identifying MetS components as risk factors in infancy and adolescence is crucial, because its presence at this life stage remains "silent" for many years, probably due to the fact that its pathophysiological mechanisms are not yet fully developed.

adolescents, metabolic syndrome, risk factor

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