[High rates of overweight and obesity in Chilean children with Down syndrome].

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity in Down syndrome (DS) is a common problem. Chile has a high prevalence of DS.

AIM: To determine overweight and obesity rates in students with DS and evaluate the concordance of three different growth charts.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy nine students with DS aged between 6 and 18 years (56% males), from three different schools, were included. Weight and height were measured and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The nutritional diagnosis was made according to BMI. Myrelid SDM/2002, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/2000, World Health Organization (WHO)/2007 charts for people with DS were used.

RESULTS: Thirty percent of participants had hypothyroidism, 22.8% congenital heart disease and 5% asthma. Overweight and obesity rates according to SDM/2002, NCHS/2000 and WHO/2007 were 43, 57 and 66% respectively. The concordance between WHO/2007 and NCHS/2000 was almost perfect, but not with SDM/2002.

CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of overweight and obesity was found in this group of children with DS, independent of the charts used or their comorbidities.