[High rates of overweight and obesity in Chilean children with Down syndrome].

BACKGROUND Overweight and obesity in Down syndrome (DS) is a common problem. Chile has a high prevalence of DS. AIM To determine overweight and obesity rates in students with DS and evaluate the concordance of three different growth charts. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy nine students with DS aged between 6 and 18 years (56% males), from three different schools, were included. Weight and height were measured and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The nutritional diagnosis was made according to BMI. Myrelid SDM/2002, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/2000, World Health Organization (WHO)/2007 charts for people with DS were used. RESULTS Thirty percent of participants had hypothyroidism, 22.8% congenital heart disease and 5% asthma. Overweight and obesity rates according to SDM/2002, NCHS/2000 and WHO/2007 were 43, 57 and 66% respectively. The concordance between WHO/2007 and NCHS/2000 was almost perfect, but not with SDM/2002. CONCLUSIONS A high rate of overweight and obesity was found in this group of children with DS, independent of the charts used or their comorbidities.