Metabolic syndrome (MS), characterized by obesity and insulin resistance, elicits risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance with additive effects on atherosclerosis, leading to cardiovascular diseases. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of MS among overweight and obese adolescents and to investigate the impact of obesity on the cardiovascular system.

tal cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in the patients with a BMI of >85 percentile. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) and ankle brachial index were measured using Vascular Profiler (VP)-1000.

MS was confirmed in 19.5% of the overweight and obese adolescents and 50.8% of the obese adolescents. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure, height, weight, fat mass, %fat, BMI, obesity index, and waist circumference were higher in the overweight and obese adolescents with MS. Moreover, the triglyceride, AST, ALT, and hs-CRP levels were higher, whereas HDL-cholesterol level was significantly lower in this group. The overweight and obese adolescents with MS showed shorter diastolic and systolic times, higher heart rate and BaPWV, and longer E-wave deceleration time by echocardiography.

Overweight and obese adolescents showed characteristic MS features such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Thus, obese adolescents predisposed to MS should be provided early treatment for obesity.