Obesity in children and adolescents: early and in adult life consequences.

Childhood and adolescent obesity is an important worldwide reality, with a progressively increasing prevalence in the last decades, so than World Health Organization declared a world obesity epidemic with associated morbidities and major public health problem. More than 80% of overweight youth become obese adults, with important consequences, early and in adult life. The complications of childhood obesity can be classified as medical and psychosocial consequences, medical consequences can be broadly classified into metabolic or mechanical complications. Metabolic consequences, like glucose intolerance, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, vitamin deficiency are beginning to surface in obese children, and metabolic syndrome is increasingly recognized even in pediatrics. Recent data have shown that the presence of individual metabolic risk factors in childhood alone is predictive of metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Obesity mechanical consequences are respiratory problems, such as obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, and orthopaedic disorders. Finally, obesity presents psychological and social consequences, like reduced self-esteem, depressive symptoms, anxiety and binge eating. In conclusion, obesity in childhood should really be considered a chronic medical condition with medical and psychosocial consequences, which not only have an immediate impact on the well-being of our children, but also significant bearing on their health in adulthood. Given the epidemiologic burden of this problem, it is necessary a common effort to do enough to curb this trend.