Korean J Pediatr.  2011 Jul;54(7):292-297. 10.3345/kjp.2011.54.7.292.

Clinical characteristics of obese boys and girls in a high school: focused on abdominal fat indices, fatty liver and carotid intima-media thickness

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. hyesk@ewha.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Radiology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Department of Pediatrics, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
  • 4Department of Pediatrics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
  • 5Department of Pediatrics, Han Yang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
Our study aimed to evaluated sex differences in clinical features of obese high school students.
METHODS
One hundred three obese high school students (body mass index [BMI]> or =85th percentile) and 51 control students (BMI<85th percentile) were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric measurements were performed. Fasting serum glucose, insulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein were measured. Abdominal fat thickness, degree of fatty liver, and carotid intima-media thickness were measured by ultrasound.
RESULTS
In control and obese groups, waist circumference was significantly longer in boys but body fat mass was significantly higher in girls. In the control group, total cholesterol and LDL-C were higher in girls. In the obese group, however, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and triglyceride were higher and HDL-C was lower in boys. Preperitoneal fat thickness was significantly higher in obese girls. In obese group, the degree of fatty liver was significantly higher in boys. Carotid intima-media thickness was not significantly different between boys and girls.
CONCLUSION
Obese adolescents had distinguishable sex differences in body measurements, metabolic abnormalities, abdominal fat thickness and fatty liver. We can infer that these characteristics may extend into adult obesity.

Keyword

Adolescent; Obesity; Abdominal fat; Fatty liver; Carotid artery disease

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Fat
Adipose Tissue
Adolescent
Adult
Alanine Transaminase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
C-Reactive Protein
Carotid Artery Diseases
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Cholesterol
Fasting
Fatty Liver
Glucose
Humans
Insulin
Lipoproteins
Obesity
Sex Characteristics
Waist Circumference
Alanine Transaminase
Aspartate Aminotransferases
C-Reactive Protein
Cholesterol
Glucose
Insulin
Lipoproteins
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