Factor analysis of the metabolic syndrome among elderly Koreans--the South-west Seoul Study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between the components of the metabolic syndrome and to explore whether insulin resistance unifies the clustering of components of the metabolic syndrome among urban elderly Koreans using exploratory factor analysis.


METHODS
We included 1314 non-diabetic subjects over the age of 60 years, selected from a cross-sectional study, which was conducted in 1999 in Seoul, Korea. Factor analysis was carried out using the principle components analysis with Varimax orthogonal rotation of the components of the metabolic syndrome.


RESULTS
We found four major factors of cardiovascular disease risk variables in our study subjects. Impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and obesity aggregated as the major domain. Obesity and dyslipidaemia variables were closely related and loaded on the same factor. However, hypertension was not linked closely with other factors of the metabolic syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
Insulin resistance is not the only contributor to the metabolic syndrome among urban elderly Koreans. Although the components of the metabolic syndrome were closely related, the finding of more than one factor suggests that more than one pathophysiological mechanism underlies full expression of the metabolic syndrome among elderly Koreans.
Choi
K M
KM
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
Lee
J
J
Kim
K B
KB
Kim
D R
DR
Kim
S K
SK
Shin
D H
DH
Kim
N H
NH
Park
I B
IB
Choi
D S
DS
Baik
S H
SH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors