Metabolic syndrome in a large chemical company: prevalence in a screened worksite sample

The metabolic syndrome (MS) leads to serious health problems like diabetes and has serious economic consequences for multinational companies. Thus, the workplace is an important setting for primary prevention. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of MS in a mixed working population to provide a basis for interventional strategies. In 2006, 1,594 employees attended a screening program at BASF Ludwigshafen, the number of employees with MS was determined and the distribution of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) analyzed. The study-population consisted of 1,075 men and 519 women, aged 17-64. 374 individuals (23.5%) were classified to be affected by MS, of which 86.9% were male (prevalence MS in men 30%, in women 9.7%). Subjects with MS had higher BMI (P < 0.01), blood pressure (P < 0.01), heart rate (P < 0.01), liver enzymes (P < 0.01), uric acid (P < 0.01) and LDL (P < 0.01), while HDL was significantly lower (P < 0.01). (Pre)-Diabetes and CVD were found more frequently in subjects with MS. There were no significant differences between individuals with different types of employment ("white collar vs. blue collar" workers) or smoking status. We found a high prevalence of MS in our working population, thus interventional programmes should be implemented. The workplace-setting can be used to promote long-term prevention strategies in this adult working population.