Significant familial resemblance as regards metabolic syndrome and its components in a large Chinese population

A total of 17,954 subjects from 5,224 families with multiple siblings from a rural area of China were recruited during 2004-2005 in order to investigate the familial aggregation of metabolic syndrome and its components in a large Chinese population. After adjusting for age and gender, significant correlations among siblings were observed in BMI, waist circumference, total body and abdominal fat percentage, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and insulin, insulin resistance index from homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-C, LDL-C, and blood pressure, with correlation coefficients varying from 0.18 for FPG to 0.42 for HDL-C. The correlation of systolic blood pressure was stronger in male siblings than that in female. If metabolic syndrome was present in the eldest sibling, younger siblings had a two- to threefold higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome or its components than those with a healthy eldest sibling. In conclusion, there appears to be a familial aggregation of metabolic syndrome and its components in the Chinese population.

Abstract

Keywords:
Abdominal fat – Blood pressure – BMI – HDL-C – Insulin resistance – Metabolic syndrome – Plasma glucose – Triglycerides – Waist circumference