Identifying metabolic syndrome without blood tests in young adults--the Terneuzen Birth Cohort.
BACKGROUND
Within the context of the obesity epidemic identifying young adults at risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is important. A practical approach is based on the identification of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Our objective was to develop a simple and efficient stepwise strategy to identify MetS in young adults.


METHODS
Subjects were part of a birth cohort (n = 2599) in Terneuzen, The Netherlands, born in 1977-86. In 2004-05: 642 of these young adults participated in a physical examination and blood tests. Tree regression was used to determine the optimal decision strategy to identify MetS.


RESULTS
Overall prevalence of MetS, defined according to the NCEP ATPIII, was 7.5%. The tree regression yielded an optimal stepwise strategy that eliminated the need for blood tests for the diagnosis of MetS in 50-90% of the cases, depending on the accepted level of error. A large group (52% of the total) with BMI <35 had a normal waist circumference (WC) and normal blood pressure (BP). None of them had MetS. Subjects with BMI > or =35 all had MetS. If BMI <30, 38% had an increased WC or increased BP with a risk of MetS of only 6%. So for them the omission of blood tests could also be considered.


CONCLUSIONS
In most young adults MetS can be identified or excluded without blood tests by a simple and stepwise strategy, based on the measurement of BMI, WC and BP. This makes it possible to develop simple prevention strategies for young adults at risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
de Kroon
Marlou L A
ML
Department of Public and Occupational Health, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Renders
Carry M
CM
Kuipers
Esther C C
EC
van Wouwe
Jacobus P
JP
van Buuren
Stef
S
de Jonge
Guus A
GA
Hirasing
Remy A
RA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010808:Physical Examination; D015995:Prevalence; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult
D008055:Lipids