New Simplified Diagnostic Decision Trees for the Detention of Metabolic Syndrome in the Elderly

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2020-07, Vol.17 (14), p.5191
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Guerrero, Enrique, Romero-Saldaña, Manuel, Fernández-Carbonell, Azahara, Molina-Luque, Rafael, Molina-Recio, Guillermo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Anthropometry; Blood pressure; Body fat; Body mass; Body mass index; Body measurements; Body size; Confidence intervals; Decision trees; Diabetes; Diagnostic systems; Education; Fasting; Gender; Glucose; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Mortality; Older people; Population; Risk factors; Sensitivity; Statistical analysis; Triglycerides; Variables; Womens health
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17145191

Background: A new simplified method for the detention of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is proposed using two variables (anthropometric and minimally invasive). Methods: A study of MetS prevalence was made on a sample of 361 older people. The anthropometric variables analyzed were: blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference (WC), waist–height ratio, body fat percentage, and waist–hip ratio. A crude and adjusted binary logistic regression was performed, and receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained for determining the predictive capacity of those variables. For the new detection method, decision trees were employed using automatic detection by interaction through Chi-square. Results: The prevalence of the MetS was of 43.7%. The final decision trees uses WC and basal glucose (BG), whose cutoff values were: for men, WC ≥ 102.5 cm and BG > 98 mg/dL (sensitivity = 67.1%, specificity = 90.3%, positive predictive value = 85%, validity index = 79.9%); and for women, WC ≥ 92.5 cm and BG ≥ 97 mg/dL (sensitivity = 65.9%, specificity = 92.7%, positive predictive value = 87.1%, validity index = 81.3%). In older women the best predictive value of MetS was a WC of 92.5 cm. Conclusions: It is possible to make a simplified diagnosis of MetS in older people using the WC and basal capillary glucose, with a high diagnostic accuracy and whose use could be recommended in the resource-poor health areas. A new cutting point in older women for the WC should be valued.