[Metabolic syndrome in visual display units users].
BACKGROUND
Reports about medical consequences from sedentary work are contradictory. It might be associated with the metabolic syndrome (MS), a collection of cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and central obesity. No data are currently available on workers using visual display units (VDIU), a potential high risk group, given the sedentariness inherent in this work.


METHODS
We evaluated MS prevalence in 1547 VDU users with a mean age of 29.7 years and in a control group of 892 individuals with a mean age of 30.2 years who performed non-sedentary work, selected on the basis of similar demographic data. Physical examination and laboratory tests useful for MS diagnosis were performed.


RESULTS
MS prevalence was 3.10% in VDU users vs 2.01% in controls (OR 2.048, 95% CI 1.169 to 3.587, p = 0.012). Significance persisted after controlling for confounding factors (e.g, smoking and leisure activity) in a multivariate analysis (OR 1.555, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.690, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
MS should carefully considered when performing health surveillance programmes in VDU users.
Babbucci
A
A
Università Tor Vergata, Cattedra di Medicina del Lavoro, Roma.
De Santis
L
L
Pannunzio
L
L
Coppeta
L
L
Pietroiusti
A
A
Magrini
A
A
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008838:Microcomputers; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence