Background: Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and the development of type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a large health check-up population in Taiwan.
Methods: During the period of 2000-2001, about 120,000 adults aged 20 years and above received health check-ups at the MJ Health Screening Centers. Among these, 24,329 participants with complete data on waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting levels of glucose, triglyceride, and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol were randomly selected for analysis. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was estimated according to the criteria proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP III), with adoption of the Asian criteria for abdominal obesity.
Results: Based on the strict NCEP III criteria, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 9.5% (10.6% in men and 8.1% in women, respectively); with Asian criteria for waist circumference, 12.9% (15.5% in men and 10.5% in women, respectively). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased with age. Prevalences of all components of metabolic syndrome increased sharply with age in women. In contrast, the prevalences of high triglyceride and low high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol flattened and declined after the age of 50 years in men. Therefore, the gender difference resulted in a cross-over of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome between men and women at the age of 60 years.
Conclusions: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a physical check-up population is significantly affected by age and gender. Age- and gender-specific strategies may be useful in the control of the syndrome.