Comparison of various metabolic syndrome definitions in three Canadian ethnic groups
Document Actions
The study aimed to compare various metabolic syndrome definitions, with special attention given to abdominal obesity, and to explore gender and ethnic differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in three ethnic groups, two of which aboriginal, residing in the Canadian province of Québec. Participants of three cross-sectional health surveys conducted between 1990 and 1992 were included in the analysis: 1417 Quebecers, 817 Indian Crees, and 379 Northern Arctic Inuit. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome varied according to the definition used, with the highest agreement being found between the NCEP ATP III definition and the IDF definition (79%). Regardless of ethnic origin, 25% of women presented with a “triad profile” characterized by high waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. In contrast, 20% of men had the “deadly quartet” characterized by high blood pressure and the triad described above. These three unique population-based samples indicate that abdominal obesity does not have a similar deleterious impact according to ethnicity, highlighting the need for an ethnic-based metabolic syndrome definition. They also confirm previous reports that while aboriginal women have a higher metabolic syndrome prevalence than men, this gender-based dichotomy tends to reverse in nonaboriginal groups.
Abstract
