Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in the Iranian Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Bahareh Amirkalali; Hossein Fakhrzadeh; Farshad Sharifi; Roya Kelishadi; Farhad Zamani; Hamid Asayesh; Saeid Safiri; Tahereh Samavat; Mostafa Qorbani

doi:10.5812/ircmj.24723

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in the Iranian Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015 Dec 27;17(12):e24723. doi: 10.5812/ircmj.24723. eCollection 2015 Dec.

Authors

Bahareh Amirkalali¹, Hossein Fakhrzadeh², Farshad Sharifi², Roya Kelishadi³, Farhad Zamani¹, Hamid Asayesh⁴, Saeid Safiri⁵, Tahereh Samavat², Mostafa Qorbani⁶

Affiliations

¹ Gastrointestinal and Liver disease research Center (GILDRC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
² Elderly Health Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
³ Child Growths and Development Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran.
⁴ Department of Medical Emergencies, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, IR Iran.
⁵ Department of Public Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, IR Iran.
⁶ Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, IR Iran; Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Epidemiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.

Abstract

Context: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of most non-communicable diseases; gathering information about its prevalence can be very effective in formulating preventive strategies for metabolic diseases. There are many different studies about the prevalence of MetS in Iran, but the results and the study populations of these studies are very different; therefore, it is very important to have an overall estimation of its prevalence in Iran.

Objectives: This study systematically reviewed the findings of all available studies on MetS in the adult Iranian population and estimated the overall prevalence of MetS in this population.

Data sources: International databases (Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and PubMed) were searched for papers published from January, 2000 to December, 2013 using medical subject headings (MeSH), Emtree, and related keywords (metabolic syndrome, dysmetabolic syndrome, cardiovascular syndrome, and insulin resistance syndrome) combined with the words "prevalence" and "Iran." The Farsi equivalent of these terms and all probable combinations were used to search Persian national databases (IranMedex, Magiran, SID, and Irandoc).

Study selection: All population-based studies and national surveys that reported the prevalence of MetS in healthy Iranian adults were included.

Data extraction: After quality assessment, data were extracted according to a standard protocol. Because of between-study heterogeneity, data were analyzed by the random effect method.

Results: We recruited the data of 27 local studies and one national study. The overall estimation of MetS prevalence was 36.9% (95% CI: 32.7 - 41.2%) based on the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, 34.6% (95% CI: 31.7 - 37.6%) according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and 41.5% (95% CI: 29.8 - 53.2%) based on the Joint Interim Societies (JIS) criteria. The prevalence of MetS determined by JIS was significantly higher than those determined by ATP III and IDF. The prevalence of MetS was 15.4% lower in men than in women (27.7% versus 43.1%) based on the ATP III criteria, and it was 11.3% lower in men based on the IDF criteria; however according to the JIS criteria, it was 8.4% more prevalent in men.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of MetS in the Iranian adult population, with large variations based on different measurement criteria. Therefore, prevention and control of MetS should be considered a priority.

Keywords: Iran; Meta-Analysis; Metabolic Syndrome; Prevalence.

Publication types

Review