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Retrospective Study of Obesity in Children with Down Syndrome

Basil, Janet S
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1427882782

Abstract Details

2015, MS, University of Cincinnati, Medicine: Genetic Counseling.
Background: Down syndrome is the most common live-born chromosome aneuploidy condition, and many features associated with this syndrome increase the risk for obesity. Few studies have conducted an in-depth review of children with Down syndrome with regard to obesity prevalence and co-occurrence of health risk factors that may be associated with obesity. Objectives: To characterize the obesity burden in children with Down syndrome by determining the obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prevalence, developing a trajectory of obesity from childhood to young adulthood, and comparing the prevalence of obesity in our study population with the general pediatric population. We hypothesized that children with Down syndrome would have a higher prevalence of obesity, which would increase through childhood, and those who are obese would have a higher co-occurrence of OSA. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review that included children between the ages of 2 and 18 who have a diagnosis of Down syndrome. All children had been seen at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center with at least three height and weight measurements. To determine obesity burden, the rate of obesity was compared to a local control cohort using 2x2 contingency tables. Change in obesity rate through time was determined with mixed models. Impact of obesity on OSA risk was determined with 2x2 contingency tables. Results: We evaluated data from 303 individuals, 47.8% of whom were obese (BMI=95th percentile for age and sex). This was significantly higher than the general pediatric population, which had a 12.1% obesity rate (p<0.0001). BMI z-scores did not change markedly over time, indicating that those who were obese at young ages tended to remain obese and those who were not obese at young ages tended to not become obese. Of note, the majority of children with Down syndrome also had OSA (71.6%). However, OSA risk was further increased in obese children (RR=2.5, p=0.0005). Conclusions: Our data indicate that children with Down syndrome are at a substantial risk for obesity and OSA. These findings support the need for more aggressive weight management in early childhood and throughout the lifespan. It will be important to design further studies of metabolism and growth to determine the actual caloric requirements for children with Down syndrome. Key Words: Down syndrome, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea
Howard Saal, M.D. (Committee Chair)
Katherine Healy, M.S. (Committee Member)
Lisa Martin, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
31 p.
Health Care
Down Syndrome; obstructive sleep apnea; obesity

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Basil, J. S. (2015). Retrospective Study of Obesity in Children with Down Syndrome [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1427882782

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Basil, Janet. Retrospective Study of Obesity in Children with Down Syndrome. 2015. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1427882782.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Basil, Janet. "Retrospective Study of Obesity in Children with Down Syndrome." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1427882782

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1427882782
839
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.