Obesity and metabolic syndrome during the menopause transition in Serbian women

ABSTRACTBackground Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome are known to increase in prevalence from premenopause to postmenopause. Both are well recognized predictors of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in women.Aims The primary objective of this study was to assess the presence of obesity and metabolic syndrome during the menopause transition in Serbian women who attended health-care centers. The secondary objective was to evaluate the prevalence of ischemic heart disease, stroke and diabetes in this group.Methods Our results present a part of the national epidemiological cross-sectional study assessing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and obesity in Serbia. In all, 1076 women attending 20 health-care centers were assessed. Women were divided into five groups: premenopausal, perimenopausal, early and late postmenopausal and geripausal. Medical history, waist circumference, blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure were recorded.Results The mean body mass index of all women was 28.5 ± 4.9 kg/m2. The m...