Age- and Sex-Adjusted Body Mass Index Increases in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Patients From Diagnosis to Five-Year Follow-Up.

AIM: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are at risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications. We evaluated the development of overweight and obesity for 5 years after diagnosis in children and adolescents treated for ALL.

METHODS

The medical records of children diagnosed with ALL at one centre during 2000-2018 were assessed. Weight and height measurements were retrieved from medical records and were used to calculate age- and sex-adjusted International Obesity Task Force-Body Mass Index (ISO-BMI). ISO-BMI was determined at selected time points during treatment and up to 5 years after diagnosis, and the change in mean ISO-BMI was assessed.

RESULTS

We studied 115 patients diagnosed with ALL, 54 (47%) of whom were male. Mean age at diagnosis was 6.6 ± 4.6 (range 0-17.99) years. ISO-BMI increased significantly during treatment (p < 0.0001) and remained elevated at 5 years after diagnosis (p < 0.0001). The number of overweight and obese patients increased from 17% and 4% at diagnosis to 26% and 16% at the five-year follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients treated for ALL are at significant risk of weight gain and obesity, with the prevalence of overweight and obesity doubling from diagnosis to 5 years post-treatment. ISO-BMI remained persistently elevated across all treatment risk groups.