Metabolic syndrome in elderly from a northeastern brazilian city

Introduction: Population aging is a global reality. In Brazil, it is so expressive and in 2050 is estimated that the number of men and women over 80 years old can overcome the 20-24 years old population and also children under 14 years old. Metabolic syndrome is defined as a set of cardiovascular risk factors, detection and intervention in this age group may decrease cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in elderly patients in a northeastern Brazilian city. Method: This is a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional and population-based study. The population consisted of non-institutionalized individuals aged> 60 years old, attended in the Family Health Strategy (FHS) and residents in Cajazeiras, PB, Brazil. For the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome we considered the criteria recommended by the International Federation of Diabetes. Results: We studied 351 elderly patients with 72.4+8.7 years old and 66.1% were female. The prevalence of MS was 69.8% and the most frequent criterion was increased waist circumference (82.6%), followed by high triglycerides (81.5%) and low HDL-cholesterol (80.6%). We observed a statistically significant positive association between MS and women [OR: 1.38 (95% CI: 1.18 to 1.63)] and housing in urban areas [OR: 1.23 (1.02 to 1.48)]. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of MS among the elderly mainly in women and those living in urban areas.