Relationship Between Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Metabolic Syndrome

Introduction: The prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) has been increasing with the increase in the proportion of elderly patients. Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is a constellation of signs that are associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It also increases in prevalence with increasing age. In this study we sought to find if an association exists between MS and POP in the U.S population. Methods: Patients were recruited from our urogynecology and female urology clinics. All the patients were referred to our clinics with various pelvic floor complaints. After written informed consent, a waist circumference was measured and recorded. The remaining MS criteria were collected from the chart including, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose; if not available glycated Hemoglobin; triglycerides, and high density lipoprotein. Other variables collected include age, gravity, parity, number of vaginal deliveries, body mass index, and history of previous pelvic organ prolapse surgery. A pelvic organ prolapse quantification was performed as part of our routine examination. Results: A total of 142 patients were recruited. 138 were included in our analysis. The average age was 69 (±10.6). Metabolic Syndrome was not significantly associated with POP (OR: 0.827, 95% CI 0.421-1.625). None of the MS subcategories were significantly associated with POP after controlling for other confounders such as age and number of vaginal deliveries. Age was significantly associated with POP (p = 0.009). Body mass index, gravity, parity or number of vaginal deliveries were not independently associated with POP. Conclusion: MS was not associated with POP. Only age was significantly associated with the development of pelvic organ prolapse