Nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors in pediatric metabolic syndrome

Objective To study the relationships between nontraditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and components of the metabolic syndrome in Native Canadian children, a population at risk of future CV disease. Study design CV risk factors were evaluated in a population-based study of a Canadian Oji-Cree community, involving 236 children aged 10 to 19 years. Results Using an age- and sex-specific case definition, 18.6% of the children met criteria for pediatric metabolic syndrome. As the number of metabolic syndrome component criteria increased, C-reactive protein, leptin, and ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 levels rose (all P < .0001) and adiponectin concentration decreased (P = .0006). Principal factor analysis using both traditional and nontraditional CV risk factors revealed 5 underlying core traits, defined as follows: adiposity, lipids/adiponectin, inflammation, blood pressure, and glucose. Conclusions Nontraditional CV risk factors accompany the accrual of traditional risk factors early in the progression to pediatric metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, inclusion of these factors in factor analysis suggests that 5 core traits underlie the early development of an enhanced CV risk factor profile in Native children.