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Metabolic syndrome increases risk for CVD in adults, all-cause mortality in women
Metabolic syndrome, particularly the presence of diabetes and hypertension, is associated with high risk for cardiovascular death in both men and women and a significantly increased all-cause mortality risk in women, according to research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
In a longitudinal, observational, retrospective study of young Korean adults, researchers attributed the increased risk to the presence of diabetes or hypertension - components of metabolic syndrome - and suggested that lifestyle changes can potentially reduce that risk.
Eun-Jung Rhee
“Subjects with [metabolic syndrome], especially when they have diabetes or hypertension as one of the components of metabolic syndrome, should make their best efforts to escape from metabolic syndrome to not be in the high-risk group for high mortality,” Eun-Jung Rhee, MD, PhD, of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, told Endocrine Today. “The efforts they have to make are to reduce their weight, do regular exercise and reduce their calorie intake to treat the individual components of metabolic syndrome.”
Rhee, Ki-Chul Sung, MD, PhD, of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, and colleagues at other institutions analyzed data from 155,971 Korean adults (mean age, 41.8 years) who participated in a health screening program at Kangbuk Samsung hospital between 2002 and 2009. Researchers followed participants for 3.7 years and analyzed body weight, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose. Participants also completed health questionnaires. Researchers measured mortality using death records.
Ki-Chul Sung
Within the cohort, 12.6% of participants had metabolic syndrome at baseline, and 542 participants died during the study. After adjustment for confounding factors, women with metabolic syndrome showed a significantly increased HR for all-cause mortality compared with women without metabolic syndrome (HR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.15-2.88). All participants with metabolic syndrome showed a significantly increased risk for CVD compared with participants without metabolic syndrome (HR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.02-2.2); however, this risk disappeared once diabetes or hypertension at baseline were excluded (HR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.29-3.12).
“Young people with metabolic syndrome (mean age of 41) should be aware of the increased risk for CVD mortality, especially in those with diabetes or hypertension and metabolic syndrome,” Rhee said. “The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in subjects with diabetes or hypertension reaches 50% to 80% depending on ethnicity and studies.”
More research is needed to find interventions that could reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, Rhee said.
“We already know that there is not a single pill or injection that could treat [metabolic syndrome],” Rhee said. “We have to make more efforts to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome through interventions to reduce visceral obesity. Also, we have to look for any ways to prevent diabetes or hypertension. These efforts all have to go in one direction.” - by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.