title: Hypertension is the most common component of metabolic syndrome and the greatest contributor to carotid arteriosclerosis in apparently healthy Japanese individuals.
abstract: The cluster of metabolic and hemodynamic risk factors known as metabolic syndrome is known to be a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular diseases and stroke. By analyzing the cross-sectional data from 8,144 individuals (age 19-88 years) who underwent general health screening, we have investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, as diagnosed by modified-National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria corresponding to the following five categories: triglycerides > or = 150 mg/dl; high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol < 40 mg/dl in men or < 50 mg/dl in women; fasting plasma glucose > or = 110 mg/dl; systolic/diastolic blood pressure > or = 130/85 mmHg; and body mass index > 25 kg/m2. We found that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 19% in men and 7% in women. After adjustment for age, metabolic syndrome was found to be significantly more prevalent in men than in women, with an odds ratio of 3.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.62-3.61, p < 0.0001). Among the five metabolic/hemodynamic risk factor components, hypertension was observed most frequently in individuals with metabolic syndrome, at 85% in men and 87% in women. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, serum total cholesterol levels, and smoking status showed that hypertension possessed the greatest odds ratio (1.43, 95% CI 1.27-1.60) for carotid plaque among the metabolic/hemodynamic risk factors. These data emphasize the importance of controlling blood pressure for reducing the risk of both metabolic syndrome and carotid arteriosclerosis in apparently healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. nobuishizka-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Nobukazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishizaka
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishizaka
authors.forename: Ei-Ichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Ryozo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamakado
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index