Private MD News

Many obese children go untested for deadly complications

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Few obese children receive regular diabetes, liver or cholesterol testing, according to a new study published in the journal Obesity.

A growing number of children are becoming obese, which poses a number of life-long health challenges. Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults. Excess body fat increases the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, all of which can be extremely expensive to care and reduce the quality of life.

However, the findings of the study indicate that few children are given testing that could help them make lifestyle changes that would enable them to avoid these conditions.

After examining the medical records of 70,000 children, researchers from Denver Children’s Hospital found that one quarter were obese. Of these children, less than one quarter were given diabetes, liver and cholesterol tests.

“Even after diagnosis, many obese patients are not receiving recommended laboratory screening tests,” the authors wrote in their report. “Providers could improve care by more complete laboratory screening in patients diagnosed with obesity.”