Pediatric obesity and early appearance of cardiometabolic syndrome: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: In recent decades, pediatric obesity has reached epidemic levels worldwide. Objective: To identify scientific evidence regarding pediatric obesity and its relationship with early onset of cardiometabolic syndrome. Method: Research was carried out through a systematic review, between January and February 2020, of the MEDLINE, LILACS and ScIELO bibliographic databases, using the descriptors: “Child*”, “Teen*”, “Adolescent”, “Pediatric Obesity”, “Metabolic syndrome”, “Cardiovascular diseases”, “Arterial hypertension”, “Insulin resistance”, “dyslipidemias”, “Glycosylated hemoglobin A”, “HbA1”. Results: Of the 2,604 articles located, 32 were included in the analysis. The study population was 56.761 children and adolescents between 2 and 18 years of age. More than half of the studies were carried out in the American continent and were mainly cross-sectional. In several articles, participants or data were part of health projects or surveys. The measurement of the components of the metabolic syndrome was carried out, essentially, according to the definition of the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation. The most altered variables in overweight and obese children and adolescents were anthropometric, biochemical, and hemodynamic parameters. Conclusion: Studies show the consolidation of obesity as an acquired risk factor for the appearance of metabolic diseases, but the most important thing is the solid evidence found from intervention studies, on the reversibility of pathological alterations as a product of a practice of healthy lifestyles.