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Metabolic Syndrome among Undergraduate Students Attending Medical Clinics for Obligatory Medical Screening
Ahmed, Ahmed Mohammed; Elabid, Bader Eldien Hassan; Elhassan, Kamal Eldin Hussein & Waggiallah, Hisham Ali
Abstract
Purpose: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MS) among first-year
undergraduate students in three Sudanese universities.
Methods: A total of 384 first-year students attending university medical clinics for obligatory medical
checkup in Khartoum, Sudan participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric parameters,
including weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured with
reference to National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III)
guidelines. Fasting blood samples were collected from all participants and assayed for fasting blood
glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density
lipoprotein (LDL).
Results: The overall prevalence of MS in the test group was 7.8 %. The prevalence of MS, though
higher in females, was statistically not significant (p = 0.32). According to residential area (rural –
urban), the prevalence was higher in urban than rural, 10.4 and 4.4 %, respectively (p = 0.25 and p =
0.25, respectively). In addition, frequency of MS was directly proportional to age. The weight of patients
with MS was significantly different from that of non-MS subjects (p < 0.001). Same was also observed
when obese patients were compared with non-MS subjects. (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The prevalence of MS among Sudanese first-year university students in Khartoum is
moderately high. Incidence of MS among the students is directly proportional to BMI.
Keywords
Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Hypertension; Diabetes; Dyslipidemia; Anthropometric
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