Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among postmenopausal women in Montenegro: Relation to hyperuricemia

Abstract

Aim: The data regarding the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among postmenopausal women in Montenegro is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate this prevalence and to examine its association with serum uric acid level, an established cardiometabolic risk factor. Methods: A total of 242 postmenopausal women (aging 43-68) were included. Fasting glucose, lipid parameters, and uric acid were determined with the standard procedure. Blood pressure and anthropometric parameters were obtained. MetS was diagnosed according to the modified US National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Results: The prevalence of MetS in postmenopausal women was 42.1%. The most prevalent component was abdominal obesity (65.3%), following by hypertension (systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure accounting for 54.1% and 49.2% respectively), hyperglycemia (40.5%), and dyslipidemia (high triglycerides and low HDL-c level accounting for 30.2% and 25.2% respectively). Uric acid levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal women with MetS than in those without MetS (P<0.001). Moreover, a significantly higher number of patients with MetS as compared to subjects without diagnosed MetS across uric acid tertiles was found (χ2=27.02, P<0.001). Conclusion: MetS is highly prevalent among postmenopausal women in Montenegro and correlated with higher uric acid level. Abdominal obesity is the most prevalent feature of the syndrome. This suggests the importance of reducing obesity and lowering uric acid level in prevention of cardiometabolic diseases.