Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Relationship with Clinically Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease in the Veneto Region, Northeastern Italy

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is more frequent in adults with metabolic syndrome than in those without. We wished to assess the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and the role of its specific components on prevalent CVD in a large cohort of subjects from the general population. METHODS: Seventy-eight general practitioners among 3,542 were identified and participated in this study. Personal, anthropometric, and lifestyle data were obtained as was data relevant to CVD [coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke or both]. A stratified random sample of 6,347 subjects taken from the population of the Veneto region in northeastern Italy was analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence [and its 95% confidence limits (CL)] of metabolic syndrome by gender and age classes was higher in men than women (21.9% vs. 16.8) and it increased with age (29.8% in ages 60-69 vs. 8.0 in ages 30-39). The most frequent triad of metabolic syndrome was waist circumference (WC)-blood pressure (BP)-hyperglycemia (GLYC) (33%). Metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with CVD [odds ratio (OR)=1.53, 95% CL, 1.02-2.29] and gender (men have about six times the risk of women), and the risk of CVD increases with age (11% per additional year of age). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the only component of metabolic syndrome associated with CVD: The OR was 2.12 (95% CL, 1.32-3.43) and remains significant in sex-specific models only in men. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the Veneto region among subjects ages 30-69 is high. There is a significant association between prevalent CVD and metabolic syndrome, but the biological basis of association is strongly influenced by gender.