Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among male Kuwaiti adolescents aged 10 - 19 years

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity are high in Kuwait. Metabolic Syndrome is associated with both. It is expected to find the syndrome higher than that in other countries. Objective: To assess the prevalence of MS using two different diagnostic criteria, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the National Cholesterol Education Program—Third Adult Treatment Panel Modified for age (NCEP-ATP III). Study design: A multi-stage random sample study. Methods: The analysis of data for this study was based on a sample of 303 male Kuwaiti adolescents, 10 19 years of age selected from intermediate and high schools. Anthropometric measurements and biochemical tests on blood samples were carried out. The IDF criterion requires waist circumference (WC) plus two of the following criteria: triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and blood pressure (PB). The ATP III criterion requires three of the above parameters. The parameters mentioned must show increase in their values except for HDL which must show decrease in either criterion used. Results: Each of the two criteria revealed that the prevalence of MS was 14.8% and 19.5%, using the IDF and the ATP III criteria, respectively. HDL decreased in each of the two diagnostic criteria and the other four parameters increased, satisfying the diagnostic requirements of either criterion. Conclusions: Significant implications may be drawn from these results, especially when it comes to being at risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).