ESPE Abstracts

Background: Uric acid and Triglycerides/HDL ratio are an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Aim: To investigate how Triglycerides/HDL ratio and uric acid are correlated with children’s biochemical and anthropometric characteristics, depending on the predisposition for metabolic syndrome (MetSyn).

Methods: 110 students, 6–12 years old, living in Sparta-Greece, participated in our research. Anthropometric and biochemical analyses were performed.

Results: 39.1% of children had BMI%≧85% and 71.7% had waist circumference (WC) %≧95%. 3.64% had uric acid ≧5.5 mg/dl, 8.2% glucose ≧100 mg/dl, 3.64% triglycerides ≧150 mg/dl, 12.7% cholesterol ≧200 mg/dl while there was no child with HDL≤40 mg/dl. The triglycerides/HDL ratio was 2:1 in 3.6% and ≧3:1 in 3.6% of children. 17.27% of them were predisposed for MetSyn. With statistical importance (P<0.05) we found that in the total population: the Triglycerides/HDL ratio was positively correlated with cholesterol, LDL, ALT/SGPT, GGT and CAD (cholesterol/LDL); while uric acid increased WC% and triglycerides and decreased HDL. With statistical importance (P<0.05) we found that in the population of children without predisposition for MetSyn: Triglycerides/HDL ratio was positively correlated with body weight, uric acid, CAD and white blood cells; while uric acid increased WC% and cholesterol and reduced HDL. In children with predisposition for MetSyn, Triglycerides/HDL ratio was positively correlated with CAD (P<0.001), while uric acid was positively correlated with triglycerides (P=0.003) and negatively with HDL (P=0.023).

Conclusions: Despite the fact that HDL was normal in all children, triglycerides and uric acid levels were increased in a small percentage of children, making them important predisposing factors for the acquisition of metabolic disorders. The deposition of visceral fat can supercharge the lipid profile and raise the concentration of insulin, reducing renal clearance, resulting in hyperuricemia. At the same time, uric acid has a mechanistic role in atherosclerosis through the removal of nitric oxide which may be an early indicator of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases.