Pubertal progression and serum lipid profile in obese children.

Background: During puberty, sex hormones are associated with decrease in serum lipids in healthy individuals.

Aim: To investigate the relationships between pubertal development, serum lipid profile and atherogenic indices in obese children and adolescents.

Methods: Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and serum lipids of 340 obese children (182 girls, 158 boys) aged 3.6-17.8 years were measured. Atherogenic index, total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)/HDL-C were calculated as indices of atherogenic risk.

Results: Weight (F = 62.078; p < 0.001), BMI (F = 21.083; p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (F = 11.956; p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (F = 3.947, p = 0.005) differed significantly between pubertal stages and increased with advance in stages in males. HDL-C (F = 4.586; p = 0.004) differed significantly between pubertal stages and decreased with advancing stages in males. Weight (F = 66.915; p <0.001), BMI (F = 23.101; p <0.001), SBP (F = 10.873; p <0.001), DBP (F = 2.839; p = 0.040) and LDL-C (F = 3.072; p = 0.029) differed significantly between pubertal stages and increased with advancing stages in girls. Triglyceride, TC, LDL-C and SBP were statistically significant determinants for HDL-C according to multivariate linear regression analysis. SBP was significantly affected by chronological age, BMI, glucose, TC and HDL-C according to stepwise linear regression analysis.

Conclusion: The increasing rate of obesity is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk factors in parallel with advance in pubertal stages, particularly in boys.