Concentrations of fT3 in child patients with obesity

Czech version

Authors: Dana Černochová ¹; Jana Kohanová ¹; Jana Poddaná ¹; Eva Mendelová ¹; Jarmila Vojtková ²; Miriam Čiljaková ^1,2
Authors‘ workplace: Detské oddelenie, NEDÚ n. o., Ľubochňa ¹; Klinika detí a dorastu, JLF UK a UNM, Martin ²
Published in: Diab Obez 2020; 20(39): 12-15
Category: Reviews

Overview

Introduction: Overweight and obese children may have higher fT3 serum levels. There are no studies known as yet which would describe the dependence of fT3 value on the actual weight gain over the last period. The aim of the study: The study focuses on examining the thyroid parameters, specifically fT3 in children with obesity, its correlation with BMI, weight gain and metabolic syndrome parameters.

Material and methodology: We included 88 children (45 boys) with obesity aged 10–18 years. We divided the cohort into two parts – one comprised 62 children with a stabilized weight, who had not gained more than 5 kg over the past 6 months. The other group of 26 children comprised patients who had gained more than 5kg over the past 6 months. We examined hormonal parameters in the children – TSH (thyrotropic hormone), fT3 (free T3), fT4 (free T4), and biochemical parameters, total cholesterol, TAG, LDL and HDL, fasting insulinemia. BMI (body mass index), waist circumference, BP (blood pressure) and the amount of weight gain over the past 6 months before examination in our department were recorded. The endocrine cause of obesity (hypercortisolism, thyroidopathy) was eliminated for all children, children with Prader-Willi syndrome as well as other obese children with mental retardation were eliminated.

Results: An average serum concentration of fT3 in the cohort of obese children was in the upper third of the reference norm. The total average of serum concentrations of fT3 for all obese children equalled 6.28 pmol/l. The norms for fT3 in our laboratory are 3.5–7.3 pmol/l for girls and 4.6–7.5 pmol/l for boys. The children who gained more than 5kg in weight over the past 6 months, had a significantly higher average concentration of fT3 than those with a stabilized body weight (6.81 pmol/l vs 6.09 pmol/l, p < 0.01). BMI values in both groups were comparable (34.05 kg/m² for children who gained weight vs 33.04 kg/m² for children with a stable weight).

Conclusion: The value of serum fT3 parameter positively correlates with a weight gain in child patients with obesity. Despite the comparable BMI, obese children with a greater weight gain over the past 6 months reached a significantly higher fT3 parameter compared to obese children with a stabilized weight.

Keywords:

obesity – fT3 – metabolic syndrome – childhood

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