Prediction of Obesity in Down Syndrome Individuals Using BMI and Blood Pressure Records

Abstract

To predict obesity in adults with Down syndrome, we investigated the correlation between age and change in BMI (Body Mass Index), as well as between age and change in blood pressure using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis. We calculated BMI during the various age stages of 34 subjects (24 males and 10 females) from records of height, weight, and blood pressure made during regular health checkups. The average BMI of both males and females was seen to increase linearly in the teens and 20s. No male subjects had a BMI over 25 in the early teenage years, but five of 18 subjects (28%) in the late teenage years, 10 of 24 subjects (42%) in the early 20s and 11 of 24 subjects (46%) in the late 20s had a BMI of over 25. On the other hand, in the 10 females, one of eight subjects (13%) in the late teens, three of ten subjects (30%) in the early 20s, and four of ten subjects (40%) in the late 20s had a BMI of over 25. Although both SBP and DBP were lower than the Japanese average, no correlation was found in our study between increased BMI and blood pressure in subjects in their 20s. Obesity in people with Down syndrome tends to increase from the late teens to the twenties. We hypothesize that there is a marked trend from the twenties and suggest that tracing BMI over the early adult years is an important factor for predicting obesity in individuals with Down syndrome.