High prevalence of abdominal obesity increases the risk of the metabolic syndrome in Nigerian type 2 diabetes patients: using the International Diabetes Federation worldwide definition.

BACKGROUND: Some Nigerian studies have reported cases of the metabolic syndrome in the population. This study aims to assess the prevalence of the components of the metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) worldwide definition.

METHODS: Eighty-nine T2DM patients were studied after an overnight fast. The patients' blood pressure, anthropometric indices, and biochemical parameters were measured. The components of the metabolic syndrome-raised blood pressure, waist circumference, triglycerides (TGs), and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)-were calculated using the IDF definition for the European ethnic group.

RESULTS: About 25% of the patients had raised blood pressure (>130/85 mmHg), with the male patients having higher prevalence of raised systolic blood pressure (SBP>130 mmHg) than the female patients (73.3 vs. 52.3%, P<0.05). Although the prevalence of raised TGs did not differ in gender, more females than males had reduced HDL-C (77.3 vs. 46.7%, P<0.001). Although generalized obesity is similar in both gender (17.8% vs. 31.8%, P>0.05), abdominal obesity predominates significantly in female patients (97.7 vs. 68.9%, P<0.001). Overall, total obesity (P<0.05), raised blood pressure (P<0.05), raised TGs, and reduced HDL-C are significantly clustered in abdominally obese patients.

CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the abdominally obese T2DM patients had a higher cluster of the components of the metabolic syndrome and are consequently at greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We recommend that diabetes education emphasizing the risk of CVD in patients with increased abdominal fat should be intensified in the developing countries.