218 INCREASING PREVALENCE OF METABOLIC SYNDROME IN OLDER ADULTS IN IRELAND. (18th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McCarthy, K; O'Halloran, A; Laird, E; Ortuño, R R; Kenny, R A
• Is Part Of: Age and ageing. Volume 50(2021)Supplement 3
• Publication Date: 2021-11-18
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afab219.218
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-0729

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of inter-related risk factors of metabolic origin, occurring together more often than by chance alone. MetS is a recognised risk factor for cardiovascular disease, several other chronic medical conditions and mortality. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of MetS in older adults in Ireland and to examine if this changed over a 4-year follow-up period. Methods: This study used data collected as part of wave 1 and 3 of The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA). Using objective measurements of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), in addition to medication usage, the prevalence of MetS using both the National Cholesterol Education Program Third Adult Treatment Panel criteria (ATPIII) and the International Diabetes Foundation criteria (IDF) were determined. Weights were used to allow the sample to be representative of the population. Weights for wave 3 included an adjustment for attrition between wave 1 and wave 3. Weighted logistic regression models were undertaken to examine the odds ratios for age, sex and educational attainment. Results: 32.5% of the community-dwelling population aged ≥50 years at wave 1 had MetS according to the ATPIII criteria, with 39.3% according to the IDF criteria. Males were 36% (ATPIII) or 53% (IDF) more likely than females to have MetS at wave 1. MetS was increasingly prevalent with age, and lower educational attainment at both waves. Prevalence had increased by wave 3 with 35.1% and 41.3% meeting the ATPIII and IDF criteria respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of MetS, a modifiable disorder, is very high and increasing in older adults in Ireland, with nearly 400, 000 of the community-dwelling population ≥ 54 years at wave 3 meeting either the ATPIII or IDF criteria. More public health interventions are warranted.