Comparison of Three Diagnostic Definitions of Metabolic Syndrome and Estimation of Its Prevalence in Mongolia

We sought to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the urban population of Mongolia and suggest a preferred definition. This cross-sectional study comprised 2076 representative samples, which were randomly selected to provide blood samples. MS was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adults Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and the Joint Interim Statement (JIS). The Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) was analyzed to determine the agreement between the individual MS components using the three definitions. The prevalence of MS in the 2076 samples was 19.4% by NCEP ATP III, 23.6% by IDF, and 25.4% by JIS criteria. For men, moderate agreement was found between the NCEP ATP III and waist circumference (WC) (κ = 0.42), and between the JIS and fasting blood glucose (FBG) (κ = 0.44) and triglycerides (TG) (κ = 0.46). For women, moderate agreement was found between the NCEP ATP III and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (κ = 0.43), and between the JIS and HDL-C (κ = 0.43). MS is highly prevalent in the Mongolian urban population. The JIS definition is recommended as the provisional definition.