Every week is full of discovery at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Among the highlights this week are a significant discovery and new treatment option in a heart surgery complication that affects young patients; a study of how to predict infants’ later obesity risk; and a CHOP cancer immunotherapy story hitting the world stage at an international conference.
Children with Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21) are prone to obesity. Their families may be concerned about their future risks for cardiovascular problems as well as their quality of life.
Welcome to our latest weekly summary of research news from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia! This has been a full week, including multiple studies of genetic influences on weight in childhood, a useful autism research explainer, findings on long-term impacts of congenital heart disease, and a neurological phenomenon with a literary namesake.
Two recent studies expand the list of genes associated with body fat and body mass index (BMI), and their connection to heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
As anyone who has been to a doctor knows, a standard part of a doctor’s visit or wellness exam is determining a patient’s BMI. But what exactly does “BMI” mean? And what can it tell clinicians about their patients?
The United States has a weight problem: according to the CDC, more than one-third of American adults are obese. Moreover, as of 2010 one-third of children were either overweight or obese, with the rates of obesity doubling in children and tripling in adolescents in the past thirty years.
