title: Association between erythrocyte parameters and metabolic syndrome in urban Han Chinese: a longitudinal cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although various cross-sectional studies have shown that erythrocyte parameters, including red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT), were linked with metabolic syndrome (MetS), few longitudinal studies have been used to confirm their relationship. The study, therefore, constructed a large-scale longitudinal cohort in urban Chinese population to highlight and confirm the association between erythrocyte parameters and MetS/its components.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal cohort with 6,453 participants was established based on the routine health check-up systems to follow up MetS, and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was used to detect the association between erythrocyte parameters and MetS/its components (obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension).
  
  
  RESULTS
  287 MetS occurred over the four-year follow-up, leading to a total incidence density of 14.19 per 1,000 person-years (287/20218 person-years). Both RBC and Hb were strongly associated with MetS (RR/95% CI, P value; 3.016/1.525-5.967, 0.002 for RBC; 3.008/1.481-6.109, 0.002 for Hb), with their dose-response trends detected. All three erythrocyte parameters (RBC, Hb and HCT) were found to be associated with obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia with similar dose-response trends respectively, while only Hb showed a significant association with hyperglycemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated erythrocyte parameters were confirmed to be associated with MetS/its components in urban Chinese population, suggesting that erythrocyte parameters might be served as a potential predictor for risk of MetS.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chengqi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dongzhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yongyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wenjia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Zhenxin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Fuzhong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China. liu-yx@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yanxun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology; D012306:Risk; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins