A new index to simplify the screening of hypertension in overweight or obese youth.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hypertension (HTH) is a frequent complication in pediatric obesity. To simplify the screening of HTH in overweight/obese (Ow/Ob) youth, we compared the performance of a new index (High Blood Pressure index, HBPi) with respect to the standard criteria of the IV Report [systolic BP (SBP) and/or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥95th percentile for age, gender and height]. We also compared the performance of HBPi with other simplified indices such as the BP/height ratio and the absolute height-specific BP thresholds. Ten pediatrics' outpatient centers participating in the "CARdiometabolic risk factors in ITALY study" provided medical records of 4225 Ow/Ob children and adolescents (age 6-16 years). METHODS AND RESULTS: Centers were divided into two groups: training set (TS) (n = 2204 participants) and validation set (VS) (n = 2021 participants). The simplified HBPi (mmHg) was: (SBP/2 + DBP/10) - age + (1 × female gender). In the TS, a HBPi value ≥57 mmHg in both children and adolescents had high sensitivity (0.89), specificity (0.97), positive (0.89) and negative (0.97) predictive values in classifying youth at high risk of HTN compared with the IV Report. In the VS, the HBPi showed a better performance than high levels of BP/height ratio and height-specific BP thresholds in classifying individuals at risk of HTN: area under curves 0.95 (0.93-0.96), 0.80 (0.78-0.82), 0.76 (0.74-0.79), respectively; specificities 0.95 (0.94-0.96), 0.69 (0.67-0.72), 0.60 (0.57-0.62), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HBPi, combining SBP and DBP, gender and age, may help pediatricians to implement HTN screening in Ow/Ob youth.

A simple anthropometric tool for the assessment of pre-sarcopenia in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to explore the performance of anthropometric tools in the assessment of low muscle mass in a group of postmenopausal women. METHOD: Fifty consecutive ambulatory postmenopausal women were studied. A complete clinical examination and an anthropometric evaluation following a standardized procedure were performed. Three indicators were devised: upper limb adjusted perimeter (ULAP), lower limb adjusted perimeter (LLAP), and appendicular adjusted perimeter (AAP). RESULTS: Sixteen sarcopenic patients (32%) were identified using the DXA appendicular lean mass/h2 threshold. ULAP and AAP correctly classified 82% of the patients, while LLAP showed a lower performance (72%). The sensitivity and specificity values of ULAP and AAP were higher than those obtained using LLAP; their positive and negative predictive values were 65.2%, 96.3% and 68.4%, 90.3%, respectively. A highly significant concordance was observed for the three anthropometric indicators. CONCLUSION: The availability of reliable and simple clinical instruments to identify low muscle mass is of great relevance. Anthropometric methods reported in this paper could represent an innovative resource for muscle mass assessment in daily practice. The contribution of these approaches in the detection and management of sarcopenia should allow the physician to make early interventions and thus prevent or modify its relevant health consequences.

The association between osteoporotic hip fractures and actinic lesions as a biomarker for cumulative sun exposure in older people-a retrospective case-control study in Argentina.

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between the presence of actinic lesions (solar keratosis and non-melanoma skin cancer) and osteoporotic hip fractures in older patients. Both pathologies are common conditions in this age group. Since cumulative sun exposure is difficult to quantify, the presence of actinic lesions can be used to indirectly analyze the association between ultraviolet radiation and osteoporotic hip fractures. This was an observational case-control study. We reviewed the centralized medical records of patients with hip fracture (cases, n = 51) and patients with other diseases hospitalized in the same institution and period (controls, n = 59). The mean age of the patients was 80 ± 8.3 years (range 50-103 years). Differences in maternal hip fracture history were found between cases and controls (14.8 and 8 %, respectively; p = 0.047). Falls history in the past year was higher in cases than in controls (p < 0.0001). Actinic lesions were observed in 32.7 % of patients (prevalence rate 23.5 % in cases, 40.7 % in controls; p = 0.04). When considering patients with actinic lesions, controls have a higher FRAX score compared with cases. Although sun exposure is recommended for bone health, it represents a risk factor for actinic lesions. The presence of actinic lesions may indicate a lower osteoporotic hip fracture risk. A balance between adequate lifetime sun exposure and protection against its adverse effects is required for each patient, in the context of geographic location.

White blood cell count may identify abnormal cardiometabolic phenotype and preclinical organ damage in overweight/obese children.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Subclinical inflammation is a central component of cardiometabolic disease risk in obese subjects. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the white blood cell count (WBCc) may help to identify an abnormal cardiometabolic phenotype in overweight (Ow) or obese (Ob) children. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional sample of 2835 Ow/Ob children and adolescents (age 6-18 years) was recruited from 10 Italian centers for the care of obesity. Anthropometric and biochemical variables were assessed in the overall sample. Waist to height ratio (WhtR), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lipids, 2 h post-load plasma glucose (2hPG), left ventricular (LV) geometry and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) were assessed in 2128, 2300, 1834, 535 and 315 children, respectively. Insulin resistance and whole body insulin sensitivity index (WBISI) were analyzed using homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) and Matsuda's test. Groups divided in quartiles of WBCc significantly differed for body mass index, WhtR, 2hPG, HOMA-IR, WBISI, lipids, ALT, cIMT, LV mass and relative wall thickness. Children with high WBCc (≥8700 cell/mm(3)) showed a 1.3-2.5 fold increased probability of having high normal 2hPG, high ALT, high cIMT, or LV remodeling/concentric LV hypertrophy, after adjustment for age, gender, pubertal status, BMI and centers. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that WBCc is associated with early derangements of glucose metabolism and preclinical signs of liver, vascular and cardiac damage. The WBCc may be an effective and low-cost tool for identifying Ow and Ob children at the greatest risk of potential complications.

Comparison of non-HDL-cholesterol versus triglycerides-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio in relation to cardiometabolic risk factors and preclinical organ damage in overweight/obese children: the CARITALY study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lipid ratios to estimate atherosclerotic disease risk in overweight/obese children are receiving great attention. We aimed to compare the performance of non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) versus triglycerides-to-HDL-C ratio (Tg/HDL-C) in identifying cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) or preclinical signs of organ damage in outpatient Italian overweight/obese children. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, 5505 children (age 5-18 years) were recruited from 10 Italian centers for the care of obesity, of which 4417 (78%) showed obesity or morbid obesity. Anthropometric, biochemical, and blood pressure variables were analyzed in all children. Liver ultrasound scan, carotid artery ultrasound, and echocardiography were performed in 1257, 601, and 252 children, respectively. The entire cohort was divided based on the 75th percentile of non-HDL-C (≥130 mg/dl) or Tg/HDL-C ratio (≥2.2). The odds ratio for insulin resistance, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, presence of liver steatosis, increased levels of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (cLVH) was higher in children with high levels of Tg/HDL-C with respect to children with high levels of non-HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: In an outpatient setting of overweight/obese children, Tg/HDL-C ratio discriminated better than non-HDL-C children with CMRFs or preclinical signs of liver steatosis, and increased cIMT and cLVH.