A Cross-Sectional Study of the Phenotypes of Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Adults with Down Syndrome

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the confluence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors, subclinical atherosclerotic damage and cardiovascular events remain extremely rare in adults with Down syndrome (DS). We aim to determine the prevalence of obesity and metabolic disorders in an adult cohort with DS and to compare our findings with adults without DS.MethodsCross-sectional study of 51 consecutively selected adults with DS living in the community and 51 healthy controls in an outpatient clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Madrid, Spain. Epidemiological data (age and gender), anthropometric data (body mass index and waist-to-height ratio), coexisting clinical conditions, and laboratory data (fasting glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin, creatinine, thyroid hormones, vitamins, and lipid profile) were measured and compared between the groups.ResultsAdults with DS were significantly younger and more often men with a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than controls. Their waist-to-height ratio was higher, and they more frequently had abdominal obesity. The results of an analysis adjusted for age and gender revealed no differences in fasting insulin levels, homeostatic model assessment indexes, or lipid profile between adults with DS and controls.ConclusionAdults with DS presented a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, we found no differences in lipid profile, prevalence of insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome between adults with DS and controls.

Feasibility of Assessing Diet with a Mobile Food Record for Adolescents and Young Adults with Down Syndrome

“…Similar findings were also observed in two studies of adults with Down syndrome (both n = 51) where, compared to controls, adults with Down syndrome reported a greater mean intake of fruit and vegetables [37,38]. Earlier research with overweight and obese adolescents ( n = 61) in WA found low average intakes of fruit (0.7 serves) and vegetables (1.2 serves) [39]; however, these low intakes were not observed in the PANDs study.…”

Retrospective Study of Obesity in Children with Down Syndrome

“…Although it is well recognized that adults with Down syndrome tend to be overweight or obese, there are few studies on children with Down syndrome in the US. 9,10 Our data demonstrate the discordance between weight-height percentiles and BMI percentiles of those with Down syndrome and controls. These data highlight that even though individuals with Down syndrome may not appear heavier than their typically developing peers by weight measurements, their substantially shorter height measurements leave them proportionally heavier than their typically developing peers, which is evident by BMI measurements.…”

“…8 Previous studies have significant limitations including small sample size, limited age groups studied, or outdated results. [9][10][11][12] Therefore, we sought to characterize better a sample of children with Down syndrome in regard to obesity prevalence, trajectory of obesity from early childhood to young adulthood, prevalence of OSAS, and associations between obesity and OSAS. We also compared the prevalence of obesity in our study sample with a sample reflecting the populace of Cincinnati to determine how children with Down syndrome compare with the general pediatric population.…”

Co‐occurring medical conditions in adults with Down syndrome: A systematic review toward the development of health care guidelines

“…Obesity itself or its underlying causes appear to contribute to both reduced quality of life (QOL) and high medical complexity especially in the presence of sleep apnea, hepatobiliary disease, musculoskeletal degeneration, cardiopulmonary disease, metabolic disturbance, eating disorders, mood disorders, and reduced physical activity. Some of these relationships are beginning to be explored in youth and adults with DS but their potential interactions require a better understanding (de Winter et al, ; Foerste, Sabin, Reid, & Reddihough, ; Galli, Cimolin, Rigoldi, Condoluci, & Albertini, ; Ordonez et al, ; Ordonez, Rosety, & Rosety‐Rodriguez, ; Real de Asua, Parra, Costa, Moldenhauer, & Suarez, , ; Tenenbaum et al, ; Wee et al, ).…”