Introduction:

To date it has not been possible to establish a consensus to universally define the Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in children and adolescents. In Paraguay, the variation in the frequency of MS in children and adolescents has not been documented according to the different definitions proposed in the literature.

Objective:

To determine the frequency of Metabolic Syndrome in children and adolescents of a school in the city of Asunción using 3 different definitions.

Materials and Methods:

This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out in children and adolescents (9-13 years). Demographic data and anthropometric measurements were collected. Fasting blood samples were drawn. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol were analyzed and blood pressure was measured. The frequency of MS was estimated from the modified definitions of the International Diabetes Federation (IDFmod), National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEPmod) and De Ferranti. The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the FCQ-UNA Cod 340/17.

Results:

Data from 76 children and adolescents (56% male), whose average age was 10.5 ± 1.1 years, were analyzed. 54% were overweight and obese. The frequency of MS was 5.26% according to IDFmod, 7.89% according to NCEPmod and 22.37% according to De Ferranti. Conclusion: The frequency of MS was higher when using the definition proposed by De Ferranti. Using definitions whose cut-off points are stricter could have a preventive effect by early detection of at-risk children and adolescents.

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