Endocrine Abstracts

Background and aims: Longitudinal data from the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS) were used to examine the effect of development of metabolic syndrome between Stage 1 (2000–2003) and Stage 2 (2004–2006) on quality of life.

Material and methods: The NWAHS is a random, representative sample of people aged 18 years and over living in the north west region of Adelaide. Participants were recruited via telephone interviews to attend the clinic. Of the original cohort (n=4060), 94.3% were contacted at Stage 2, with metabolic syndrome status at follow-up obtained for 79.0% (n=3206) of original participants. Metabolic syndrome using IDF criteria was defined as waist circumference ≥94 for men or ≥80 cm for women plus two of: triglycerides >1.7 mmol/l; HDL cholesterol <0.9mmol/l for men or <1.1 mmol/l for women; blood pressure >=130/85; FPG>=5.6 or diagnosed diabetes. Quality of life was measured using the eight subscales of the Short Form 36 (SF-36).

Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome at Stage 1 was 20.1% (18.9–21.4). The three-year cumulative incidence of metabolic syndrome among those without metabolic syndrome at Stage 1 was 7.9%. Participants who had metabolic syndrome at Stage 1 and Stage 2 were significantly impaired on all SF-36 subscales except Role Emotional and Mental Health, compared to those who did not have metabolic syndrome. The change in quality of life over time was significantly different on the vitality subscale for those who developed metabolic syndrome when compared to those who did not.

Conclusions: Development of metabolic syndrome is associated with impaired quality of life. Management of factors contributing to metabolic syndrome should consider quality of life.