Childhood Obesity Tied to Serious Pediatric Hip Disorder

Researchers may have identified a causal association between childhood obesity and subsequent slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE)—a hip disorder that can occur in youth and adolescents as they grow and requires prompt surgical correction.

These findings emerged from a cohort study of Scottish schoolchildren aged 5 to 6 years (n = 597,017) with available body mass index (BMI) measurements. A subgroup of children was further screened at age 11 to 12 years (n = 39,468). Data were obtained from a nationwide hospital admissions database.

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Results of the study indicated that, in this cohort, there were 4.26 million child-years at risk for developing SCFE.

Approximately 75% of children with obesity at ages 5 to 6 years still had obesity at age 11 to 12 years, with a strong biological gradient between childhood BMI and age 5 to 6 years and SCFE. For each integer increase in BMI z score, the risk of disease increased by a factor of 1.7.

Children with severe obesity at ages 5 to 6 years and at 11 to 12 years were 5.9-times and 17.0-times more likely to develop SCFE, respectively, vs those with a normal BMI. However, children with the lowest BMI had an almost negligible risk of SCFE.

“High childhood BMI is strongly associated with SCFE,” the researchers wrote. “The magnitude of the association, temporal relationship, and dose response added to the plausible mechanism offer the strongest evidence available to support a causal association,” they concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Perry DC, Metcalfe D, Lane S, Turner S. Childhood obesity and slipped capital femoral epiphysis [Published online October 22, 2018]. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2018-1067