Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome amongst Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

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Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is a cluster of interconnected metabolic abnormalities involving glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, elevated Blood Pressure (BP), and central obesity. It increases the risk of type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. Medical students during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were forced to remain indoors with minimal physical activity, improper sleep patterns, and long sessions of online classes. All these factors may cause various metabolic disturbances, posing them at risk for developing MS. Aim: To study the prevalence of MS among undergraduate (UG) medical students and assess the predictive risk factors for MS among them. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, from June 2022 to August 2022. A total of 170 UG medical students, aged between 18-24 years of both genders, were included in the study. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria were used for diagnosing MS. Data for anthropometric measurements (height, weight, Waist Circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), and BP were collected. Blood samples were collected to analyse Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Triglyceride (TG), and High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL). Unpaired t-test was used to compare two groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between different components of MS and anthropometric parameters. Results: Amongst the total sample of 170 undergraduate medical students, the prevalence of MS was 7.6% (n=13) of the sample population, almost equivocal among males 7 (9.7%) and females 6 (6.1%). Increased WC was seen in 75 (44.1%), raised Systolic BP was found in 24 (14.1%), raised Diastolic BP was found in 15 (20.8%), raised TG was found in 10 (5.9%), decreased HDL was found in 43 (25.3%), and increased FBS was found in 17 (10%) students. Regression analysis showed that high BMI, WC, and impaired FBS were the most critical predictive risk factors of MS. Conclusion: In the present study, the prevalence of MS in medical UG students was found to be 7.6%, and factors such as BMI, WC, and impaired FBS can be used to predict the risk of MS in them.