title: The reliability of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions in diagnosing metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Gaza Strip Palestinians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Metabolic syndrome (MetS) which is a multifaceted syndrome, has been demonstrated as a common precursor for developing cardiovascular diseases and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Different diagnostic definitions for MetS have been proposed and recommended. We set up to evaluate the reliabilities of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions in diagnosing MetS among Gaza Strip Palestinians.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional study involved a randomly selected two hundred and thirty apparently healthy adults from the Gaza Strip. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, and questionnaire interviews were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of MetS in our Gaza Strip cohort was 23.0% and 39.5% according to NCEP/ATP III and IDF definitions respectively (p<0.001). No significant differences were seen in the number of MetS components in individuals having MetS by either definition (mean 3.42 ± 0.63 vs 3.52 ± 0.69 respectively, p=0.865). Both IDF and NCEP/ATP III showed an increased prevalence of MetS with age, and body mass index (BMI), however they revealed different prevalence trends with sex. Except for BMI, there were no significant differences in the general and metabolic related characteristics between subjects with MetS of IDF and NCEP/ATP III definitions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Independently of the definition used, MetS is highly prevalent in Gaza Strip population, with a steady increase in MetS prevalence through age and BMI. The IDF definition tends to give higher values for MetS prevalence, and therefore could be more appropriate for diagnosing MetS in Gaza Strip cohort.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Al Azhar University-Gaza, Palestine. msirdah@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mahmoud M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sirdah
authors.forename: Asmaa S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Abu Ghali
authors.forename: Nahed A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Al Laham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000208:ethnology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012955:Societies, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids