Obesity and dyslipidemia in patients with craniopharyngioma before and one year after surgical resection

Background: Craniopharyngioma is characterized by clinical manifestations resulting from the compression of central nervous system structures, pituitary hormonal deficiencies, and obesity.The aim was to identify the frequency of obesity and dyslipidemia and their risk factors in pediatric patients with craniopharyngioma before and after surgical resection.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from 2014 to 2024 in pediatric patients with craniopharyngioma, evaluated before surgery and 12 months postoperatively.Anthropometric data, lipid profiles, and laboratory studies were collected.The Wilcoxon test was used for quantitative variables and the McNemar test for qualitative variables.Results: A total of 47 patients were included, with a median age of 6 years; 61.7% were male.At diagnosis, 27.7% had obesity and 10.6% were overweight.The median tumor diameter was 3 cm.The body mass index Z score increased significantly (0.46 vs 1.70; p < 0.001), with obesity rising to 68.1%.Dyslipidemia increased from 12.7 to 32.6%, mainly due to hypertriglyceridemia (25.5%).Initially, 66% had no hormonal deficiencies, but by 12 months post-surgery, 95.7% had developed at least one.Male sex and the presence of obesity at the beginning of follow-up were associated with obesity at 12 months post-surgery.Conclusions: Obesity and dyslipidemia significantly increased after surgery, accompanied by a rise in hormonal dysfunctions.