Prevalence of metabolic syndrome patients with systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Turkish systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, single-centre study, 76 SSc patients admitted to the outpatient clinic of our tertiary care hospital between July and September 2021 were included. The National Cholesterol Education Programme's Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome (MetS). The relationship between MetS and SSc organ involvement and disease characteristics was investigated. Results: According to the ATP III criteria, 37 cases (48.7%) were identified as having MetS. The prevalance of MetS increased with advancing age (40-45 years: 25%, 46-60 years: 48.4%, >60 years: 62.9%). The cases were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of MetS. Patients with MetS had higher mean age (58.2±9.4 vs. 51.6±13.5, p=0.015) and lower modified Rodnan skin scores (14 vs. 22, p=0.019). The groups were comparable regarding disease subtype, duration and activity, organs/systems involved and disease-related damage. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of MetS in SSc patients in our study was higher than that observed in the general population of our country, the prevalence of MetS did not increase when compared to the similar age group. MetS was thought to be related to age and gender predominance rather than the disease itself. Although mRSS was found to be significantly lower in patients with MetS, its sensitivity to predict MetS was found to be low. Nevertheless, our data suggest that the risk of MetS should be considered in SSc patients.