Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Among Diabetes Patients in Central Regional Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of complex group of cardiovascular risk factors, which include central adiposity, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and elevated fasting blood glucose. Generally, the prevalence of MetS in diabetes patients is high and the syndrome tends to promote the development of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Diabetes is characterised by high random plasma glucose as well as polyuria, polydipsia and weight loss etc. Aim: This study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in diabetics’ patients using the National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) ATP III criteria, World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation definitions in quantifying the syndrome. Method: This cross-sectional study involved 103 diabetes patients in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Central Region. Anthropometric measurements and fasting blood samples for blood sugar and lipids were taken. Blood pressures were recorded from their personal health record files. The NCEP ATP III, WHO and IDF criteria were used to define diabetes patients with the metabolic syndrome. Results: A total of 42 (40.8%), 31(30.1%), 81 (78.6%) were obese, overweight and have high waist circumference (IDF) respectively. Also all the participants had a low high density lipoprotein (HDL) level with 42(95.5%) having high triglycerides (TG). Significant associations were found for age range of 66-75(OR= 16.00, CI= 1.32-194.62), women (OR= 14.06; CI= 2.50-79.05) and high blood pressure (OR= 5.83, CI= 1.22-39.93). Prevalence of MetS was 38.60%, 59.09% and 75.00% using WHO, NCEP ATP III and IDF criteria respectively. Conclusion: A high prevalence of MetS was observed among the diabetes patients. The prevalence among the females was higher than that of the males.