Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
PLoS One. 2010 Aug 13;5(8):e12159. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012159.
A decade has passed since metabolic syndrome (MetS) was documented to be highly prevalent in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No follow-up epidemiologic study was done. This study aims to fill this gap. In this cross-sectional, observational study, a total of 2850 randomly selected Saudi adults aged 18-55 years were recruited. Subjects' information was generated from a database of more than 10,000 Saudi citizens from the existing Biomarkers Screening in Riyadh Program (RIYADH Cohort), Saudi Arabia. Anthropometrics included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, as well as waist and hip circumferences. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined using routine laboratory procedures. The definition of ATP-III (NHANES III) was used for the diagnosis of the full MetS. The overall prevalence of complete MetS was 35.3% [Confidence-Interval (CI) 33.5-37.01]. Age-adjusted prevalence according to the European standard population is 37.0%. Low HDL-cholesterol was the most prevalent of all MetS risk factors, affecting 88.6% (CI 87.5-89.7) and hypertriglyceridemia the second most prevalent, affecting 34% (CI 32.3-35.7) of the subjects. The prevalence of the full MetS decreased from previous estimates but remains high, while dyslipidemia remains extremely high, affecting almost 90% of middle-aged Arabs. Screening for dyslipidemia among Saudi adults is warranted, especially among those most at risk. Scientific inquiry into the molecular causes of these manifestations should be pursued as a first step in the discovery of etiologic therapies.
代谢综合征（MetS）在沙特阿拉伯高度流行已有十年。没有进行后续的流行病学研究。本研究旨在填补这一空白。在这项横断面、观察性研究中，共招募了 2850 名随机选择的 18-55 岁沙特成年人。受试者的信息来自沙特现有的生物标志物筛查计划（利雅得队列）中超过 10000 名沙特公民的数据库。人体测量学包括体重指数（BMI）、血压以及腰围和臀围。空腹血糖和血脂谱使用常规实验室程序确定。ATP-III（NHANES III）的定义用于诊断完整的 MetS。完全 MetS 的总体患病率为 35.3%[置信区间（CI）33.5-37.01]。根据欧洲标准人口进行年龄调整后的患病率为 37.0%。所有 MetS 危险因素中，低 HDL-胆固醇的患病率最高，影响 88.6%（CI 87.5-89.7），高甘油三酯血症的患病率次之，影响 34%（CI 32.3-35.7）的受试者。完全 MetS 的患病率虽较以往估计有所下降，但仍居高不下，而血脂异常仍极高，影响近 90%的中年阿拉伯人。有必要对沙特成年人进行血脂异常筛查，尤其是那些风险最高的人群。应首先进行这些表现的分子病因学研究，以探索病因治疗方法。
