Endocrinol Metab.  2014 Dec;29(4):522-529. 10.3803/EnM.2014.29.4.522.

Sex Factors in the Metabolic Syndrome as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease

• Suh S
• Baek J
• Bae JC
• Kim KN
• Park MK
• Kim DK
• Cho NH
• Lee MK

• KMID: 2384250
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2014.29.4.522

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterized by a cluster of metabolic disorders and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study analyzed data from the Korean Health and Genome Study to examine the impact of MetS on CVD.
METHODS
A total of 8,898 subjects (4,241 males and 4,657 females), 40 to 69 years of age, were enrolled and evaluated for the development of new onset CVD from 2001 to 2012 (median 8.1 years of follow-up).
RESULTS
The prevalence of MetS at baseline was 22.0% (932/4,241) and 29.7% (1,383/4,657) in males and females, respectively. MetS was associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD; hazard ratio [HR], 1.818; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.312 to 2.520 in males; HR, 1.789; 95% CI, 1.332 to 2.404 in females) and CVD (HR, 1.689; 95% CI, 1.295 to 2.204 in males; HR, 1.686; 95% CI, 1.007 to 2.192 in females). Specifically, MetS was associated with risk of future stroke in females only (HR, 1.486; 95% CI, 1.007 to 2.192). Among MetS components, abdominal obesity and hypertension were independent predictors of both CHD and CVD. In addition, a higher number of MetS components correlated with higher CVD risk.
CONCLUSION
MetS is a significant risk factor for the development of CVD although its impact varies between sexes.

Keyword

Cardiovascular diseases; Metabolic syndrome; Coronary disease; Stroke; Sex

MeSH Terms

Cardiovascular Diseases*
Coronary Disease
Female
Genome
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Obesity, Abdominal
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sex Factors*
Stroke

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