Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescence

Background—There are well-established predisposing factors for the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in childhood or adolescence, but no specific risk profile has been identified as yet. The Prediction of Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescence (PREMA) study was conducted (1) to construct a classification score that could detect children at high risk for MetS in adolescence and (2) to test its predictive accuracy. Methods and Results—In the derivation cohort (1270 children), data from natal and parental profile and from initial laboratory assessment at 6 to 8 years of age were used to detect independent predictors of MetS at 13 to 15 years of age according to the International Diabetes Federation definition. In the validation cohort (1091 adolescents), the discriminatory capacity of the derived prediction score was tested on an independent adolescent population. MetS was diagnosed in 105 adolescents in the derivation phase (8%), whereas birth weight <10th percentile (odds ratio, 6.02; 95% confidence inte...