ESPE Abstracts (2018) 89 P-P2-126

aPediatric and Adolescent Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia and Department of Maternal and Children’s Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy; bImmuno-Allergy Laboratory, Pediatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy; cBiometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Scientific Direction, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy; dDepartment of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy


Aim: Circulating levels of calprotectin have been reported in obesity-related chronic low-grade inflammation in adults, but has not been evaluated in pediatric population. We investigated serum calprotectin in overweight and obese children and its association with metabolic comorbidities.

Methods: We enrolled 131 children (11.7±4.1 years). According to BMI, the subjects were divided into three groups: obese >95th percentile; overweight BMI 75th–95th percentile and normal weight BMI<75th percentile. Patients were classified as having metabolic syndrome (MetS) if they met three or more of the following criteria for age and sex: BMI>97th percentile, triglycerides >95th percentile, HDL cholesterol <5th percentile, systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure >95th percentile and impaired glucose tolerance. In all patients calprotectin serum levels were also detected.

Results: In obese and overweight children, serum calprotectin level was higher compared to normal weight subjects (P<0.001). No significant difference between patients with obesity and overweight (P=0.07) was observed in calprotectin values. Calprotectin was higher in female than males (P=0.04). Pathological calprotectin concentration was found in 42/56 children with obesity (75%), in 21/36 overweight children (58.3%) and in 15/39 normal weight ones (38.4%). Increased calprotectin was related to pathological fasting blood glucose (P<0.001) and insulin resistance (P=0.03). No significant correlation with other pathological clinical or biochemical parameters was noted. Multiple regression analysis identified BMI (CI 95% 0.53–2.17, P=0.001) and diastolic pressure (CI 95% 0.02–0.11, P=0.001) as independent factor for increased serum calprotectin.

Conclusions: Our findings support a role of calprotectin as a marker of obesity-associated chronic low-grade inflammation in children and suggest the potential utility of this biomarker in the monitoring of its metabolic complications.

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