Researchers discover that children who survive leukemia are at risk of becoming overweight

• A new study confirms that survivors of childhood leukemia are at increased risk of being overweight in the first years after treatment.
• The findings underscore the importance of follow-up and regular medical care in leukemia survivors to help prevent cardiovascular disease, advise Dr. Fani Athanassiadou of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and colleagues.
• Because of the treatment they undergo, leukemia survivors are known to be likely to develop several risk factors for heart disease, including excess weight, adverse cholesterol levels and decreased heart function, Athanassiadou and her team note in the Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.
• They conducted the current study to see if children who receive chemotherapy only face an increased risk of obesity and the so-called "metabolic syndrome" in the first few years after treatment.
• The researchers defined metabolic syndrome as having three or more of the following risk factors: high triglyceride levels, low HDL ("good") cholesterol levels, high blood glucose levels, obesity or high blood pressure.
• They note that the syndrome is not as well characterized in children and adolescents as it is in adults.
• The researchers examined 52 patients, average age 15, about 3 years after they had completed their leukemia treatment.
• Forty-eight percent of patients were overweight and almost 6 percent were obese, the researchers found.
• Three patients were classified as having metabolic syndrome and 56 percent had at least one risk factor for the condition.
• This rate of metabolic syndrome is not significantly different from that seen in the general US adolescent population, the researchers note.
• "Nevertheless," they say, "it is anticipated that without prompt recognition and intervention, it might lead to significant problems in adulthood."
• SOURCE: Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, September 2005.