Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients with type 2 diabetes

Introduction: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) consists of a cluster of risk factors that is responsible for most of the excess cardiovascular morbidity amongst persons with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was conducted to find the prevalence of the MetS among T2DM patients attending the diabetic clinic of the main tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. Materials and methods: A prospective cross sectional study was carried out between May 2012 and December 2012 in the diabetes clinic of the National hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Consecutive patients with T2DM with a duration of diabetes of less than 12 months were enrolled into the study on their first visit. Results: 391 subjects (109 males, 282 females) were included in the study. The crude prevalence of MetS according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria was 63.7%. Significantly higher number of females had MetS when compared to males (72% vs. 42.2%). Abnormal waist circumference was the commonest abnormality and was present in 289 (73.9%), while low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) was present in 206 (52.7%). In males, abnormal waist circumference and high blood pressure were the most prevalent risk factors while abnormal waist circumference and low HDL level were the most prevalent risk factors in females. Conclusion: The prevalence of MetS and its individual components were high in T2DM patients among this urban population attending the diabetic clinic of NHSL. The prevalence of central obesity was high and it was a common risk factor for MetS among both males and females