Prevalence and Risk Factors of the Metabolic Syndrome as Defined by NCEP-ATP III

Lym, Youl Lee; Hwang, Seung Wook; Shim, Hyun Jun; Oh, Eun Hye; Chang, Yoo Soo; Cho, Be Long

Abstract

BACKGROUNDS: The Third Report of the Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) has newly introduced the clinical diagnosis guideline of the metabolic syndrome which is characterized by clustering of the CHD risk factors. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Korean adults by the newly introduced guideline and to evaluate possible risk factors with the syndrome.
METHODS
The subject of this study included 3,873 adults (males 2,144, females 1,729) aged 20 years or older who visited the Health Promotion Center of SNUH. Among the subjects, we excluded those who did not have records of physical parameters, blood test results and who were on current medications except antihypertensives and oral hypoglycemic agents. We estimated the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Korean adults according to the ATP III waist-circumference guideline, Asia-Pacific waist- circumference, and Body Mass Index (BMI), respectively, and calculated the age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome using the direct standardized method. While applying the Asia-Pacific waist circumference, we estimated the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome by age group and the prevalence of the individual abnormalities of the metabolic syndrome. To identify variables associated with the metabolic syndrome, we used the multiple logistic regression method to estimate the prevalence odds ratios for the metabolic syndrome vs. the non-metabolic syndrome.
RESULTS
The age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Korean adults was 9.3% when ATP III waist-circumference was applied, 15.4% for Asia-Pacific waist-circumference, and 18.6% for body mass index (BMI). The highest prevalence of the individual criteria among the metabolic syndrome diagnostic criteria in men was hypertension, followed by hypertriglyceridemia, abdominal obesity, high fasting blood glucose, and low HDL-cholesterolemia. And in women, it was also hypertension, followed by abdominal obesity, low HDL- cholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and high fasting blood glucose. The prevalence increased from 3.8% among participants aged 20 through 29 years to 27.1% for ages 60 through 69 years and 31.6% for ages above 70 years. Females, increasing age, increased BMI, current smoking, physical inactivity were higher risk factors for the metabolic syndrome, but mild drinking was a lower risk factor for the metabolic syndrome.
CONCLUSION
These results show that the metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent although less prevalent than in American adults. The family physician should focus on the screening and comprehensive management of the metabolic syndrome.