Ultrasound as a method to evaluate the distribution of abdominal fat in obese prepubertal children and the relationship between abdominal fat and metabolic alterations

To evaluate, using ultrasound, the distribution of abdominal fat in obese prepubertal children, as well as its possible correlation with metabolic changes due to obesity. This was a cross-sectional study of prepubescent children: 77 obese children (33 girls and 44 boys), with a mean age of 7.31 years; and 31 normal-weight children (17 girls and 14 boys), with a mean age of 7.32 years. In all of the children, abdominal wall thickness (AWT) and abdominal fat thickness (AFT) were measured by ultrasound. For the evaluation of the associated metabolic alterations, serum levels of glycemia, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin were determined. The obese children presented with greater abdominal fat, predominantly greater AWT, without a significant gender-related difference in AWT or AFT. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) showed a significant direct correlation with AWT and AFT. In obese prepubertal children, the AWT, as measured by ultrasound, was shown to be more closely related to the HOMA-IR than to the lipid metabolism or glycemia.