Objective: The aim: To compare lipid metabolism and leptin levels among the children with and without hypertension to identify associated risk factors for the course of metabolic syndrome in children.
Patients and methods: Materials and methods: This observational, cross-sectional study recruited children from the Rheumocardiology Department of Children's Clinical Hospital No 6 in Kyiv, with metabolic syndrome, identification of waist-to-height ratio, leptin level, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and lipid profile. The main group included 41 children with metabolic syndrome and hypertension and the control group included 40 children with metabolic syndrome without hypertension. Statistical data analysis was performed using the MedStat 2.6.2. package.
Results: Results: A total of 81 children aged 10 to 17 with metabolic syndrome were examined. The group of children with hypertension had significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.85±0.04) than children without hypertension (0.94±0.03), with p < 0.05. Leptin resistance was detected in 65.2% of children with hypertension and 35.3% of children with normal blood pressure (p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Conclusions: Children with metabolic syndrome and hypertension had a significantly higher body mass index and waist circumference as opposed to children with normal blood pressure. In the lipid profile high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower in hypertensive children. There was no reliable difference in other lipid profile indicators between the two groups, but there was an upward trend of them in group with hypertension. Leptin resistance is also significantly higher in hypertensive children.
Keywords: hypertension; insulin resistance; leptin resistance; lipid profile; metabolic syndrome.