Korean J Geriatr Gerontol.  2018 Jun;19(1):49-54. 10.15656/kjcg.2018.19.1.49.

Association between Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels within Normal Range and Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Women Aged ≥50 Years Old

• Park HM
• Kwon YJ
• Park HY
• Lee YJ

• KMID: 2566455
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15656/kjcg.2018.19.1.49

Abstract

Background
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and metabolic syndrome in Korean women aged ≥50 years old.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included a total of 3,479 individuals who underwent health check-ups between November 2006 and July 2010 at the Health Promotion Center of Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul. Serum CEA levels were categorized into quartiles: Q1 (≤1.0 g/L), Q2 (1.1∼1.4 g/L), Q3 (1.5∼2.1 g/L), and Q4 (≥2.2 g/L). The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for metabolic syndrome were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounding factors across CEA quartiles.
Results
The mean CEA levels were increased in people with obesity, high blood pressure, and high plasma glucose. Compared with the lowest CEA quartile, the OR (95% CI) for metabolic syndrome in the highest CEA quartile was 1.34 (1.03 to 1.73) after adjusting for age, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, regular exercise, and leukocyte count.
Conclusion
CEA was significantly related with metabolic syndrome in middle aged and elderly Korean females, and elevated CEA levels may be a surrogate marker for metabolic syndrome.

Keyword

Carcinoembryonic antigen; Metabolic syndrome; Inflammation; Elderly