The Metabolic Syndrome in Uygur and Kazak Populations

The metabolic syndrome, which has been defined as a clustering of insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (1–4), has become a major public health issue worldwide. Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was significantly different between the Uygur and Kazak populations, the two major minorities in Xinjiang (5,6). The current study aims to evaluate and compare the epidemiological and clinical features of the metabolic syndrome in the Uygur and Kazak ethnic populations. In total, 3,015 Uygur subjects (1,301 males and 1,714 females) from rural south Xinjiang and 1,281 Kazak subjects (499 males and 719 females) from suburban north Xinjiang were randomly enrolled by multistage cluster sampling. A set of questionnaires was completed, including demographic information; details of medical history; family history of hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and stroke; medication use; and lifestyle information. Three blood pressure measurements and …