Abstract

Background: Waist to height ratio and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein are predictors of the presence of the metabolic syndrome in children. Aim: To determine the proportional risk of metabolic syndrome component clustering in children, using waist to height ratio and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein. Material and Methods: Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, fasting serum lipid profle, blood glucose and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein were determined in 209 children aged 11.5 ± 2 years (50% females). The presence of the metabolic syndrome as a function of waist to height ratio and C-reactive protein was modeled using logistic regression equations. The risk of clustering one, two or more components of the metabolic syndrome was calculated. Results: Metabolic syndrome was present in 5% of all children and 18% of those that were obese. The cut off points for waist to hip ratio and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein were 0.55 and 0.61 mg/L, respectively. For each 0.01 increment in waist to height ratio, the odds ratio of increasing one component of the metabolic syndrome was 1.2 (1.15-1.25) or 15 to 25%. The odds ratio for log-transformed ultrasensitive C-reactive protein was 1.62 (1.26-2.09). Excluding waist circumference, the odds ratio of adding one or more components of the metabolic syndrome was 1.05 (1.01-1.09) per 0.01 increment in waist to height ratio, but the odds ratio for C-reactive protein was no longer significant. Conclusions: Waist to height ratio and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein predict the risk of clustering components of the metabolic syndrome in these children.