Metabolic syndrome among medical university students in Kashan, Iran

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as a clustering of complicated disorders such as: central obesity, hypertension, increased blood glucose and impaired blood lipids. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among students of Kashan University of Medical Sciences between 19 to 27 years old (n=221). Metabolic syndrome was defined using the updated 2001 National Cholesterol Education Programs Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. Anthropometrics and blood pressure were measured. Fasting blood samples were taken for measuring triglycerid (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Chol and FBG of the volunteers. The results revealed that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 3.2% (95% CI: 0.9-5.5); prevalence of 1 or 2 MetS criteria were 30.8% (95% CI: 24.7-36.8) and 14.9% (95% CI: 10.2-19.6), respectively. Low HDL-C (26.2%) concentration and elevated blood pressure (16.7%) were the most prevalent criteria. Mean BMI (p=0.015), WC, FBG and TG (p<0.0001) in males were found to be greater than females significantly. However, females had significantly higher mean concentrations of HDL-C than males (p<0.0001). Based on our findings, blood pressure and lipid disorders are the most important risk factors of metabolic syndrome in young adults. Lifestyle modifications such as increased physical activity and dietary changes can be beneficial changes in MetS criteria.