ESPE Abstracts

Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) represent a common dysmetabolic state in obese children and adolescents. Although data in youth show a role of gut hormones in the risk of developing MS, no data are available during the prepubertal age, especially across clusters of MS.

Objective: Thus the aims of this study were to evaluate components of the MS in prepubertal obese children compared to controls and to characterize changes in GLP-1, Ghrelin and Obestatin concentrations in all obese subects divided according to the clusters of MS.

Methods: A group of 90 obese prepubertal children (42Male/48Female) was recruited at the Obesity outpatient clinic in Chieti. All components of MS were characterized in all subjects and obese children were divided into three groups according to the number of components of MS (group 1: 30 obese without components of MS; group 2: 30 obese with 1 components of MS; group 3: 30 obese with 2 or more components of MS). A group of 30 healthy prepubertal age- and gender matched peers (17Male/13Female) was recruited as controls. Anthropometric and blood pressure (Systolic, SBP and Dyastolic DBP) were determined. Fasting blood samples were collected and insulin, glucose, lipid profile, ALT, AST and gut hormones including GLP-1 concentration, Ghrelin and Obestatin were measured. Differences across the groups (group 1, 2, 3 and controls) were evaluated by Kruskal-Wallis test and post-hoc analysis was performed by Mann-Whithney test.

Results: Fasting glycemia and insulin, HOMA-IR, Triglycerides, SBP and DBP progressively increased and HDL progressively decreased across the groups of obese prepubertal children compared to controls, showing worse values in group 3. In addition, GLP-1 and Ghrelin values were progressively reduced and Obestatin progressively increased across the group of controls and obese subject with or without components of MS. Particularly, the higher was the number of components of the MS the more impaired was gut hormone concentration.

Conclusions: Components of the MS and gut hormones (GLP-1, Ghrelin and Obestatin) concentrations are impaired in obese prepubertal children. The close association between progressive alterations in gut hormones levels and increasing number of components of the MS might suppose a role of these hormones in the determination of metabolic risk.