Prevalencia de Insulinorresistencia en adolescentes de la ciudad de Posadas: criterios diagnósticos recomendados

introduction: there is a growing recognition of the important role of insulin resistance (ir) in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. the aim of this study was to obtain the reference percentiles and the prevalence of fasting insulin and index of ir, homa and quicki, in adolescents in the city of posadas, misiones. materials and methods: a descriptive study of 420 high-school students was performed. anthropometric parameters, waist circumference and blood pressure were evaluated. blood samples were taken after 12 hours fasting for biochemical measurements: fasting glucose, lipid profile and insulin. the samples were processed in-house and external quality control. results: percentile 95 of insulin ≥ 12 mu/lt, homa ≥ 2.5 and percentile 5 for quicki was ≤ 0.33. comparison between genders showed no significant differences in homa and quicki values (u = 3077, p = 0.058), but significant differences were found for insulin: females = 8.59 ± 2.93 mu/l, males = 6.50 ± 2.55 mu/l (u = 2929, p = 0.019), however, when applying the z test and 1.5 of sd, calculation for groups separated by gender would not be necessary (calculated z = 2.63, critical z = 2.47, 1.5 sd = 3.82 mu/l). 11.7 % were hyperinsulinemic and the prevalence of ir by homa was 10.5 % and 9.8 % for quicki, with no statistical differences by sex and age group. insulin and two indexes of ir were significantly higher in overweight or obese adolescents. conclusions: these values may be used as a guide in the diagnostic algorithm of ir by the medical community.