Extremely high prevalence of metabolic syndrome manifestations among Arab youth: a call for early intervention

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have suggested an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among adults in the Middle-East. This study aims to determine the prevalence of MS in a large cohort of Saudi children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional observational study, a total of 1231 randomly selected Saudi children and adolescents aged 10-18 years were recruited. Subjects' information was generated from a database of more than 10,000 Saudi citizens from the existing Biomarkers Screening in Riyadh Program (RIYADH Cohort), Saudi Arabia. Anthropometrics included body mass index, blood pressure, as well as waist and hip circumferences. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined using routine laboratory procedures. The modified definition of ATP-III (NHANES III) was used for the diagnosis of MS. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of complete MS was 9·4% [confidence interval (CI) 7·8-11·0]. Age-adjusted prevalence according to the European standard population is 5·8%. Boys had a comparable MS prevalence with girls [10·3% (CI 8·2-12·4) vs. 8·1% (CI 5·7-10·5), respectively (P = 0·20)]. Low HDL-cholesterol was the most prevalent of all MS risk factors, affecting 86% (CI 85·0-88·6) and hypertriglyceridemia, the second most prevalent, affecting 33% (CI 30·6-35·8) of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MS manifestations among Arab children is extremely high, with dyslipidemia being the most common MS abnormality. Screening for dyslipidemia among Saudi children is warranted especially among those most at risk. Scientific inquiry into the molecular causes of these manifestations should be pursued as a first step in the discovery of aetiological therapies.