Education Level and Clustering of Clinical Characteristics of Metabolic Syndrome

An association between low education level and an increased risk of metabolic syndrome was recently reported among middle-aged women from Sweden (1). Because the statistics of cardiovascular mortality in Hungary—in sharp contrast to other countries (2)—are discouraging (3), and because metabolic syndrome can contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis (4), it is considered worthwhile to screen subjects to detect early signs of metabolic syndrome in our country. We performed a mass screening to evaluate the clinical features of metabolic syndrome in northwest Hungary (5), and the cohort proved to be large enough to allow subgroup analysis to assess the relationship between education level and clinical characteristics of metabolic syndrome. Originally, the aim of the screening procedure was to identify subjects with hyperinsulinemia (serum fasting insulin >15 μU/ml and/or postchallenge insulin >45 μU/ml at 120 min after 75 g glucose) because hyperinsulinemia is one of the characteristic features of metabolic syndrome and can contribute to accelerated cardiovascular …