If you child or adolescent is obese or overweight, he has a higher incidence of having a number of serious medical problems, including
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Abnormal lipid levels
- Metabolic syndrome (A condition of insulin resistance associated with high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, obesity, and in some cases, liver disease and menstrual irregularities in girls)
- Type 2 diabetes (once called adult-onset or non–insulin-dependent diabetes)
- Asthma
- Sleep apnea (repeated disruption of normal breathing during sleep)
- Skin infections (eg, fungi trapped in folds of skin)
- Pain in the knee, thigh, and hip (often associated with a condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis)
- Back pain
- Liver disease
- Gallstones
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
- Menstrual abnormalities (eg, irregular or missed periods, known as polycystic ovarian syndrome)
- Severe headaches with visual disturbances