OBESITY AND OVERWEIGHT AND ACCOMPANYING METABOLIC DISORDERS OCCUR IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of overweight, obesity, selected metabolic disorders and additional chronic diseases in children with Down syndrome (DS). Materials and methods: The study was conducted in a group of children with DS under the care of the Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology of the Medical University of Gdansk from May 2017 to December 2018. Results: The study included 26 female patients and 22 male patients with DS, aged 7 to 18 rears. The children were divided into two groups: a group with normal body weight and underweight and a group with obesity and overweight. Overweight and obesity were diagnosed in 19% of children with DS. Higher values of HDL cholesterol were found in patients with normal body mass and underweight than in patients with obesity and overweight (p=0.009). Higher values of uric acid were found in the group of patients with obesity and overweight than in the normal mass and underweight group (p=0.012). The children who are physically active have normal body weight (p=0.039). Conclusions: Obesity and overweight in patients with DS are linked to elevated uric acid levels and lipid disorders and the role of salusin-beta as an early indicator of metabolic disorders in children with DS was not demonstrated. Due to the incidence of disorders, continuous nursing care, check-ups and continuous health education of families is necessary.