Relationship of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels to Anthropometric and other Metabolic Parameters in Indian Children with Simple Overweight and Obesity.

CONTEXT: High senstivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels correlate well other parameters of obesity related metabolic syndrome (MS) and can be used as predictors of future cardiovascular disease risk. There is limited data on hsCRP levels in Indian children with simple obesity.

AIM: To study the relationship of hsCRP levels with various anthropometric as well as metabolic parameters in children with simple overweight and obesity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case control study was conducted in Paediatric Endocrinology clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Northern India. Levels of hsCRP were estimated in 100 overweight and obese children (BMI between 85(th) and 95(th) percentiles according to age & gender specific CDC 2000 growth charts) aged between 6 and 16 years and in 100 nearly age and sex matched healthy controls. These levels were then correlated to various anthropometric (body mass index, BMI; waist circumference, WC; hip circumference, HC; waist hip ratio, WHR; blood pressure) and biochemical (fasting blood glucose, FBG; total cholesterol, TC; high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, HDL-C; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C; very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, VLDL-C; triglycerides, TG) parameters.

RESULTS: Mean levels of hsCRP were significantly higher in the study group (3.92±2.20 versus 2.15±1.05 mg/L) as compared to controls. Significantly more (58% versus 10%) subjects in the study group had hsCRP (>3 mg/L). Of all the parameters studied, only BMI showed a positive correlation with hsCRP levels in the study group. Multiple logistic regression analysis for predicting outcome of high hsCRP showed positive correlation with BMI; with every 1 kg/m(2) increase in BMI, odds of high hsCRP level were increased by 37% (OR=1.37; 95% CI 1.23-1.53, p-value <0.0001). Mean values of all the biochemical parameters except HDL-C were significantly higher in the study group.

CONCLUSION: Levels of hsCRP were significantly elevated in overweight and obese children as compared to non-obese children. In addition, these patients also showed abnormalities of lipid and glucose metabolism.