Metabolic risk factors in prepubertal and pubertal patients with overweight and obesity.

Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of conditions linked to obesity that increases cardiovascular risk. We evaluated the frequency of clinical abnormalities associated with overweight and obesity in childhood, to determine whether a diagnosis of MetS is appropriate in this population.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with 116 pubertal and prepubertal children with a mean age (SD) of 10.