Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components among obese men and women in Italy

Objective: Assessment of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Italian obese individuals. Methods: Cross-sectional estimate of MetS prevalence using the IDF definition in 635 obese (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m ²) individuals (286 men, 349 women) aged 19-78 years hospitalised for mass excess treatment. Results: MetS prevalence was significantly (p <0.001) higher in males (75.9%) than in females (61.9%), due to the increased prevalence of 4/5 involved abnormalities. A multivariate binary logistic regression analysis disclosed a contributory independent effect of ageing (p <0.01-0.001), but not of BMI, whereas large waist circumference (p <0.01) and high waist-to-hip ratio (p <0.01) contributed to MetS prevalence only in women. Affected individuals were significantly older (males p = 0.022; females p <0.001), affected men being younger than affected women (p <0.01). The prevailing clinical picture included all abnormalities (21.2% in men, 22.2% in women); in minimal trait MetS (3/5 abnormalities), the prevailing combination was, beside central obesity, hypertension-hyperglycaemia in men (12.4%), and hypertension-dyslipidemia in women (19.4%). Conclusions: MetS is a highly prevalent condition among Italian obese individuals. Prevalence and combinations of involved abnormalities differ considerably between genders and suggest a different pathophysiology of the MetS in men and women, with possible relevance for prevention and treatment of the condition.