Objective: To estimate the prevalence and predictors of metabolic syndrome among substance users in North India.
Methods: A total of 302 participants with a history of substance use (per ICD-10 code) visiting either medicine or psychiatry outpatient departments and referred to a deaddiction center in the psychiatry department of a tertiary care hospital were enrolled. The cross-sectional study was conducted over 6 months between September 2019 and February 2020. Information regarding sociodemographic profiles was collected. Weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured. A fasting venous blood sample was collected to measure blood glucose; triglycerides; high-density, low-density (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels; and other blood parameters. The International Diabetes Federation criterion was used to define metabolic syndrome. Descriptive analysis was performed, and multiple logistic regression was used.
Results: The mean ± SD age of the study participants was 37.1 ± 11.4 years, and the majority were males (n = 299, 99.0%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among substance users was 16.9% (n = 51). Mean age, age of initiation, weight, body mass index (BMI), hip circumference, total cholesterol, LDL, and VLDL were significantly higher (all P < .05) among study participants with metabolic syndrome than among those without. On multivariable regression analysis, professional employment, high BMI, high hip circumference, and elevated VLDL were predictors of metabolic syndrome among substance users.
Conclusions: Coexisting substance use and metabolic syndrome is a public health concern considering the large number of people who are substance users. It is essential to screen such patients regularly for cardio-vasculo-metabolic disorders to prevent further morbidity and mortality.
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