The metabolic syndrome increases cardiovascular mortality in Taiwanese elderly

• Published in: European journal of clinical investigation 2008-07, Vol.38 (7), p.469-475
• Main Authors: Wen, C. J., Lee, Y. S., Lin, W. Y., Huang, H. L., Yao, C. A., Sung, P. K., Huang, K. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; All cause; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; elderly; Epidemiologic Methods; Female; General aspects; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - complications; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Metabolic Syndrome - mortality; Miscellaneous; mortality; Other metabolic disorders; Taiwan - epidemiology; Taiwanese; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0014-2972; 1365-2362
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.2008.01965.x

ABSTRACT Background  The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is high among the elderly. However, evidence that mortality increases with MetS is rare. In this study, we investigated the relationship between MetS, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all cause mortality in the elderly. Materials and methods  A total 10 547 participants, aged 65 years and older, of baseline cohort were recruited from four nationwide Health Screening Centres in Taiwan from 1998 to 1999. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the America Heart Association/National Heart Lung Blood Institute definition. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) of CVD and all cause mortality for those with MetS for up to 8 years of follow‐up. Results  The baseline prevalence of MetS was 50·1% (45·6% in men and 54·4% in women, respectively). A total of 1312 participants died; of these, 300 participants died from CVD. Adjusted for age, gender, smoking, total cholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate, the RRs for CVD and all cause mortality among participants with MetS were 1·48 (95% confidence interval = 1·16–1·90) and 1·16 (1.03–1.30), respectively, for participants compared to those without MetS. The mean RRs for CVD, however, ranged from 1·21 to 5·31 among different combinations of MetS components. Conclusion  The elderly with MetS, compared to those without MetS, had a higher CVD and all cause mortality in Taiwan. Furthermore, different combinations of MetS components posed different risks to the mortality, which deserves further research in the future.