Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Inner Mongolia, China

To assess the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its risk factors, Mongolian people from Inner Mongolia were studied.

2536 participants aged 20 years or above from Tongliao city in Inner Mongolia were selected for a cross-sectional study. Lifestyle risk factors, body weight, height, waistline, hipline, fasting plasma glucose, blood lipids, and C-reactive protein (CRP), were investigated in all participants. They were divided into metabolic syndrome and non-metabolic syndrome groups. Risk factors were graded from two to four. The standardized prevalence rate of the metabolic syndrome was 17.1%, lower in men (11.4%) than in women (21.6%) (P < 0.001). In men, with multivariate logistic regression, total cholesterol in the highest grade, hip circumference in the highest grade, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index were associated with the metabolic syndrome. In women, LDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein in the highest grade, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index were associated with the metabolic syndrome. There is no relationship between cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome in men or women.

In Mongolian people of agricultural and pasturing areas in Inner Mongolia, China, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is higher in women than in men. Hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index are significantly associated with the metabolic syndrome.