Metabolic syndrome is a term, which refers to a combination of medical disorders that are associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The syndrome is more common in female than males. The study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients with cardiovascular diseases in Gaza and to examine the association between traditional risk factors for the non-communicable diseases and each of the component of the metabolic syndrome.
Methodology: We used the Adult Treatment Protocol III National cholesterol Education Programme of America (ATPIII) indicators for diagnosis and determination of metabolic syndrome. The syndrome was met if an individual had three or more criteria: waist circumference 102cm in men and 88cm in women, fasting plasma glucose ≥110mg/dl, Blood pressure ≥130/85mmhg, serum Triglycerides ≥150mg/dl and serum HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl in male and 50mg/dl in female.
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.
Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 59.5%, without difference
between male and female. The main risk factors for metabolic syndrome were high
blood pressure (78.8% for systolic and 73.8% for diastolic BP), large waist circumference
(67.9%), high Triglycerides (78.6%), and high fasting blood sugar (86.4%). HDL cholesterol was protective and not statistically significant. The risk factors of metabolic syndrome in both sexes in descending order were as follows, high FBS, large waist circumference, high TG, high Blood Pressure, and low HDL cholesterol.
Conclusion: The high level of prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our study population indicates the need for an active health program to reduce the factors influencing the prevalence. Therefore, preventive interventions must be taken seriously.
Keywords: metabolic syndrome, prevalence, cardiovascular disease, Gaza, Palestine
