title: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome: association with risk factors and cardiovascular complications in an urban population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a set of cardiovascular risk factors and type 2 diabetes, responsible for a 2.5-fold increased cardiovascular mortality and a 5-fold higher risk of developing diabetes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  1-to evaluate the prevalence of MS in individuals over 18 years associated with age, gender, socioeconomic status, educational levels, body mass index (BMI), HOMA index and physical activity; moreover, to compare it to other studies; 2-to compare the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP), high triglycerides and plasma glucose levels, low HDL cholesterol and high waist circumference among individuals with MS also according to gender; 3-to determine the number of risk factors in subjects with MS and prevalence of complications in individuals with and without MS aged over 40 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of 1369 Individuals, 667 males (48.7%) and 702 females (51.3%) was considered to evaluate the prevalence of MS and associated factors in the population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study showed that 22.7% (95% CI: 19.4% to 26.0%) of the population has MS, which increases with age, higher BMI and sedentary lifestyle. There was no significant difference between genders until age ≥70 years and social classes. Higher prevalence of MS was observed in lower educational levels and higher prevalence of HOMA positive among individuals with MS. The most prevalent risk factors were elevated blood pressure (85%), low HDL cholesterol (83.1%) and increased waist circumference (82.5%). The prevalence of elevated BP, low HDL cholesterol and plasma glucose levels did not show significant difference between genders. Individuals with MS had higher risk of cardiovascular complications over 40 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of MS found is similar to that in developed countries, being influenced by age, body mass index, educational levels, physical activity, and leading to a higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications after the 4th decade of life.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Hypertension Clinic, State Medical School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gisela Cipullo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Hypertension Clinic, State Medical School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cipullo
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Hypertension Clinic, State Medical School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Alberto Souza
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ciorlia
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Hypertension Clinic, State Medical School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudia Bernardi
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Cesarino
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Hypertension Clinic, State Medical School in São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Fernando
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vilela-Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL