Comparing the Diagnostic Criteria of Metabolic Syndrome in Schoolchildren: Cross-sectional Study

Title: Comparing the diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome in schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study. Introduction: The Metabolic Syndrome has been highlighted by being the result of the meeting of several cardiovascular risk factors. However, there is still no consensus for the determination of MS in children and adolescents, since the diagnostic criteria and its cut-off points considered at risk are not established and, depending on the criteria used, the prevalence of MS found in the literature may vary. Objective: To compare the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome in adolescents in the private school system. Method: This is a cross-sectional study of 325 adolescents from private schools in the urban area of a city in northeastern Brazil. The analysis was performed through the descriptive statistics, and the verification of the agreement between the results was given by the calculation of the Kappa index. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee (opinion 352.372). Results: In only 7 adolescents, the diagnosis was like the three definitions of metabolic syndrome. Regarding the number of components of metabolic syndrome, a large percentage of adolescents presented 02 or more altered parameters. Regarding the comparison of the diagnostic criteria, the criteria established by De Ferranti presented a higher positive proportion for the syndrome. Conclusion: There were differences between the proportions obtained through the three diagnostic criteria, which may impair the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents.