• F M Finucane, S Pittock, M Fallon, M Hatunic, K Ong, N Burns, C Costigan, N Murphy, and J J Nolan.
• Metabolic Research Unit, Hospital 5, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. francisfinucane@physicians.ie
• Ir J Med Sci. 2008 Dec 1; 177 (4): 379-81.

BackgroundThe Irish childhood obesity epidemic, one of the highest ranking internationally, represents a major threat to public health. We sought to perform a retrospective observational study of a clinic based cohort of obese Irish children.MethodsClinical data relating to gender, age, height, weight, body mass index and blood pressure were analysed, from 206 children referred to a paediatric endocrine referral centre over a 15-year period for assessment of obesity.ResultsYounger patients tended to have a higher standardised body mass index at initial presentation; 92% of boys and 96% of girls referred were obese (age-related BMI >/= 95th percentile). Boys (51%) and girls (49%) had initial blood pressure measurements in the hypertensive range. There was a correlation between the degree of obesity and systolic blood pressure, particularly in boys.ConclusionsObese Irish children present with significant long-term health risks, including hypertension at baseline.

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