title: Comparison of serum lipid values in subjects with and without the metabolic syndrome.
abstract: Insulin resistance is supposed to be the basis of metabolic syndrome (MS), although it is difficult to measure. The ratio of triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance in overweight subjects. The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of the TG/HDL ratio for the diagnosis of MS. Data of 18,778 active workers (77.6% men) enrolled in 3 insurance companies in Spain were collected from their annual health examinations. Mean age was 42.2 +/- 10.7 years. MS was assessed according to modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Prevalences of MS were 18.8% in men and 6.1% in women. Mean value of the TG/HDL ratio was 2.50 +/- 2.2 and increased in parallel to the number of MS components present. Subjects with MS had a ratio that was 2 times higher compared with those without (5.10 vs 2.03, p <0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed to assess the capability of the TG/HDL ratio to contribute to a diagnosis of MS and 80% sensitivity and 78% specificity were obtained for values >2.75 in men and >1.65 in women. In conclusion, the TG/HDL ratio is a feasible and accurate measurement for assessment of MS in healthy subjects. We propose cut-off values of 2.75 for men and 1.65 for women for a diagnosis of MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario de San Juan, Alicante, Spain. acordero@coma.es
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cordero
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laclaustra
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Casasnovas
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grima
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Luengo
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ordoñez
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergua
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bes
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pascual
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alegría
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides