REVIEW article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Translational and Clinical Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1512642
Metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents: definitions, epidemiology, pathophysiology, interventions, and challenges
Provisionally accepted
- Neonatology Department, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of cardiometabolic risk factors with high prevalence in the adult population. To date, there is no consensus on the definition for MetS in children and adolescents despite the presence of well-established diagnostic criteria in adults. The etiology of MetS is associated with a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, in which the modifiable environmental risk factors are considered to play an important role in this process. MetS is significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Thus, it is necessary to pay attention to the prevention of MetS in childhood and adulthood. Given the current epidemic of obesity in children and adolescents, there is an urgent need to provide adequate guidelines for the definition, screening, and treatment strategies of MetS in younger patients. In this narrative review, we provide some diagnostic criteria and epidemiological studies and highlight the pathogenesis and management of MetS.
Keywords: metabolic syndrome, Children, adolescents, Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, Cardiovascular Diseases, Epidemiology
Received: 17 Oct 2024; Accepted: 14 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Shi, Cai, Yang and Xiu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wenlong Xiu, Neonatology Department, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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