Endocrine Abstracts

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of unfavourable health factors including visceral obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and impaired fasting glucose. It is also strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. We assessed which factors contribute to the prevalence of MetS in people within different weight and age categories.

Methods: 64 046 western European participants aged 18–80 years from the Dutch LifeLines Cohort study were categorised into three BMI classes (BMI <25, normal weight; BMI 25–30, overweight; BMI ≥30 kg/m², obese), and six age decades. MetS was defined according to the revised NCEP ATP III criteria. Within each BMI and age class, we determined the prevalence of all five MetS components.

Results: Prevalence of elevated blood pressure increased from 22% in the youngest age group (18–30 years) to 84% in the oldest age group (70–80 years). In these cohorts, the prevalence of excess waist circumference increased from 40 to 80%. The prevalence of increased serum triglycerides and fasting blood glucose was also the highest in the oldest age group (both 30%), while HDL-cholesterol remained strikingly constant with increasing age. In normal weight and overweight individuals, elevated blood pressure was the most common contributor to the presence of MetS. In obese individuals, elevated waist circumference, blood pressure and reduced HDL-cholesterol were the largest contributors.

Conclusions: The increase in prevalence of MetS with age in western European individuals is mainly driven by elevated blood pressure, and -to a lesser extent- by waist and HDL-cholesterol. As it is known that blood pressure increases with age, using a fixed 130/85 mmHg cut-off results in a disproportionate contribution of elevated blood pressure to the prevalence of MetS.

Disclosure: This work was supported by NCHA, Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Ageing, Bio-SHaRE-EU, Biobank Standardisation and Harmonisation for research excellence in the European Union. Bioresource research impact factor BRIF4568.