Abstract :
Background: Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Gender-specific BMI-for-age percentile curves are used to define overweight and obesity in paediatric age group.
Aim: To study the prevalence of cutaneous manifestations of obesity in pediatric population and to analyse the relation with BMI and Insulin Resistance. Materials and methods: A total of 138 overweight obese children between 5-18 years were enrolled. Anthropometric measurements and dermatological examination and relevant blood investigations were done. Insulin resistance was calculated using HOMAIR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance).
Results: Maximum number of patients were between 15-18 years of age (n=63). Among 138 children, 75 were males, while 63 were females. According to BMI values, 72cases were categorized as overweight and 66 obese. The cutaneous manifestations were seen to be present in 89.1% of patients. It was more in obese (96.96%) as compared to overweight children (81.94%). HOMA-IR >2.6 was observed among 75 (54.35%) cases. It was observed that cutaneous manifestations were more in children with HOMA-IR levels >2.6 (96%) as compared to HOMA-IR levels
Conclusion: Obesity is strongly related to several skin alterations that could be considered as markers of excessive weight. Insulin resistance (IR) has emerged as an important disorder among young obese individuals. Thus, improving insulin sensitivity can prove to be highly effective potential therapeutic strategy for obesity and obesity-related comorbidities.
Keyword :
Obesity, Overweight, Insulin resistance, Cutaneous manifestations, Adolescent Children, HOMA-IR.