In a small cohort of newborns the incidence of cryptorchidism in Denmark has not changed, and is similar to previous reports from the 1950s. The risk is higher in low birth weight singleton neonates but does not appear to be higher in twins, despite lower birth weight and prematurity.
Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as the presence of one or more decayed tooth in a child under 6 years of age. 1 Over 560 million children are affected worldwide, causing difficulties in sleeping, eating and attending school due to loss of tooth substance and pain. 2 Classified as a non-communicable disease, ECC is thought to share socioeconomic, behavioural, biological and perinatal risk factors with other lifestyle-related conditions in childhood. Consequently, several attempts have been made in different populations to reveal associations between ECC and preterm birth, gestational age and body weight, but these studies have shown conflicting results. For example, an increased level of ECC in preterm children was demonstrated in a large cohort of
Aim
Metabolic syndrome represents a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and we investigated whether otherwise healthy 6‐year‐olds showed metabolic alterations.
Methods
This study followed up a representative Swedish population‐based cohort of full‐term infants recruited on the maternity ward at Hallands Hospital Halmstad, Sweden, from 2008 to 2011. They were examined at a mean of 6.6 years of age (range 6.5–6.9) using various measures for signs of metabolic syndrome.
Results
One key measure showed that 55 (26%) of the 212 children had one or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome requiring action. The 37 who were obese (3%) or overweight (14%) were significantly more likely to be insulin resistant than the normal weight group (28% versus 5%, p < 0.001) and have high triglycerides (8% versus 0%, p < 0.001). Children with high waist circumferences had higher systolic (p = 0.01) and diastolic (p = 0.02) blood pressure than those with normal waist circumferences. Waist circumference identified children at high risk of metabolic syndrome better than body mass index.
Conclusion
A significant percentage of 6‐year‐old children showed abnormal metabolic profiles, including insulin resistance, which increased their risk of cardiovascular disease. Waist circumference was a stronger marker for metabolic alterations than body mass index.
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