PREVALENCE OF THE METABOLIC SYNDROME IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Objective: The metabolic syndrome is associ-ated with a high risk of diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, and Hispanics in the United States have higher rates than do other ethnic groups. We assessed the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its individual com-ponents in Puerto Rican adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that used a probability cluster design to select a sample of households of the San Juan metropolitan area from 2005 through 2007. A total of 859 persons aged 21–79 years completed a face-to-face interview, blood pressure and waist circumference measure-ments, and blood sampling. Our primary outcome measure was metabolic syndrome as defined by the updated NCEP-ATP criteria. Results: Prevalence of the metabolic syn-drome was 43.3%; 45.3 % for men and 42.2 % for women (P..05). Prevalence signif-icantly rose with age, from 12.8 % among participants aged 21–29 years to 58.2 % for participants aged 70–79 years (P,.001). Cor-responding increases in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in both men and women were also observed; the prevalence peaked in men aged 50–59 years (62.6%) and in women aged 70–79 years (65.2%). Elevated glucose (49.8%) and abdominal obesity (49.0%) were the most common components of the meta-bolic syndrome, followed by elevated blood pressure (46.1%), reduced high-density lipo-protein cholesterol (46.0%), and elevated triglycerides (31.3%). Substantial variations were found between men and women in the prevalence of individual components. Conclusions: Puerto Ricans have a high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. This health disparity has implications for diabetes and cardiovascular prevention programs. (Eth