Gender differences in association between metabolic syndrome and carotid intima media thickness

HDL-C criterion of the metabolic syndrome and future diabetes and atherosclerosis in midlife women: The SWAN Study

Objective

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is one of 5 components [high blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, waist circumference, low HDL-C], 3 of which, needed to diagnose metabolic syndrome (MetS). Evolving research shows that higher HDL-C is not necessarily cardioprotective in midlife women, supporting a need to re-evaluate HDL-C's contribution to risks related to MetS. We tested whether risk of future diabetes and higher carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) differ by HDL-C status in midlife women diagnosed with MetS based on the other 4 components.

Methods Midlife women were classified into 3 groups

1) no MetS, 2) MetS with HDL-C ≥ 50 mg/dL (MetS hiHDL), and 3) MetS with HDL-C < 50 mg/dL (MetS loHDL). cIMT was measured 13.8 ± 0.6 years post baseline. Incident diabetes was assessed yearly.

Results

Among 2773 women (1350 (48 %) of them had cIMT), 2383 (86 %) had no MetS, 117 (4 %) had MetS hiHDL, 273 (10 %) had MetS loHDL. Compared with no MetS, both MetS- hiHDL and loHDL groups had higher cIMT and diabetes risk. Risk of having high cIMT did not differ between MetS loHDL vs. hiHDL groups. Adjusting for levels of MetS criteria other than HDL-C at baseline explained the associations of each of the two MetS groups with cIMT. Conversely, after adjustment, associations of MetS hiHDL and MetS loHDL with incident diabetes persisted.

Conclusions

In midlife women, HDL-C status matters for predicting risk of incident diabetes but not higher cIMT beyond other MetS components.

What Is Hidden Behind The Gender Differences Of Carotid Atherosclerosis?

This review article reveals possible causes that may underlie gender differences of carotid atherosclerosis: vascular anatomy, localization and morphology of atherosclerotic plaques, different effects and prevalence of known risk factors between genders (arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, depression / stress). A separate place in the review is given to markers of inflammation and the protective effect of female sex hormones.

Feasibility of home-based tracking of insulin resistance from vascular stiffness estimated from the photoplethysmographic finger pulse waveform

In this study, we explored the utility of post-prandial vascular stiffness as a surrogate measure for the estimation of insulin resistance (IR), which is a pre-diabetic condition. A cohort of 51 healthy young adults of varying Body mass index values (BMI) were studied by fasting plasma values of insulin and glucose; fasting and post-meal finger photoplethysmography (PPG), and electrocardiogram (ECG). Insulin resistance was estimated by Homeostatic model assessment-Insulin resistance 2 (HOMA-IR2) using fasting plasma insulin and glucose. Vascular stiffness was estimated by reciprocal of pulse arrival time (rPAT) from ECG and finger PPG at five time points from fasting to 2-hours post oral glucose ingestion. We examined if insulin resistance is correlated with meal induced vascular stiffness changes supporting the feasibility of using finger PPG for the estimation of insulin resistance. HOMA-IR2 was found to be positively correlated with early rise (0- to 30- minutes post meal) and delayed fall (30- to 120-minutes) of rPAT. Correlation persisted even after the effect of BMI has been partialled out in sub-group analysis. We conclude that finger PPG based pulse waveform and single lead ECG has the potential to be used as a non-invasive method for the assessment of insulin resistance. As both signals viz., ECG and PPG can be easily acquired using wearable and other low-cost sensing systems, the present study can serve as a pointer for the development of accessible methods of monitoring and longitudinal tracking of insulin resistance in health and pathophysiological states.

The circulating levels of CTRP1 and CTRP5 are associated with obesity indices and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) value in patients with type 2 diabetes: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence that the C1qTNF-related protein (CTRP) family has a crucial role in the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity. We sought to identify the association of CTRP1 and CTRP5 circulating levels with various obesity parameters such as visceral adipose tissue (VAT) thickness, visceral adiposity index (VAI), and with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in patients with T2D and controls.

METHODS

This preliminary study consisted of men with T2D (n = 42) and men without T2D (n = 42). The measurement of cIMT and VAT thickness was performed using an Accuvix XQ ultrasound. Circulating levels of CTRP1, CTRP5, and adiponectin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

CTRP-1 and CTRP1/CTRP5 ratio were markedly higher in patients with T2D compared to controls (p < 0001 and p = 0004 respectively). Interestingly, binominal logistic regression revealed that a higher circulating level of CTRP1 was associated with the presence of T2D (odds ratio [OR]: 1.009 [95% CI: 1.004-1.015]; P = .001). CTRP1 circulating levels were correlated with WHR, VAT, and HOMA-IR in the whole population study. Also, we observed that the ratio of CTRP1 to CTRP5 in plasma (β = 0.648, P = 0.005) and CTRP5 circulating levels (β = 0.444, P = 0.049) are independently associated with cIMT value.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that CTRP1 and CTRP5 concentrations were correlated with atherosclerosis in men with T2D and these adipokines might have a causal role for cardiometabolic risk in T2D.However, more studies in large sample sizes are required to clarify the role of CTRPs in T2D pathogenesis.

Menopause and metabolic syndrome in the Middle East countries; a systematic review and meta-analysis study

INTRODUCTION

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence that is associated with increasing risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has accelerated with age. Since, menopause is known as a partial cause of CVD accelartion with againg among women, determining the prevalence of MetS is important in this condition. We aimed to assess critically the prevalence rate of MetS among menopaused women in the Middle East Countries in this systematic review meta-analysis study.

METHODS & MATERIALS

International webdata bases including Scopus, ISI web of Science and PubMed were systematically searched using Medical Subject Headings terms from January 2000 to February 2017. We included all cross-sectional conducted in the Middle East that reported prevalence of MetS in menopause status regardless of MetS definition. Quality assessment was considered for each included study. The pooled prevalence of MetS based on the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) was estimated using random effect method due to between-study heterogeneity by STATA software, version 11.0 (StataCorp, USA).

RESULTS

Within 60 studies, 21 and 17 studies were included in qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis respectively. The prevalence of MetS among menopaused women was estimated 54.87% (95% CI: 53.76-55.97) in the Middle East countries. In sub-group analysis based on country the prevalence rate of MetS in Iran and Turkey was estimated 58.78% (95% CI: 57.54-60.02), and 39.02% (95% CI: 36.57-41.47), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

MetS was highly prevalent as an alarming sign among menopaused women in the Middle East countries. Thus, it is an emergency requirement to promote healthy lifestyle. Also, early detection and treatment of women who reach menopause and are at great risk of developing MetS is necessary for prevention of diabetes and CVD in the region.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in the Iranian Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

CONTEXT

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of most non-communicable diseases; gathering information about its prevalence can be very effective in formulating preventive strategies for metabolic diseases. There are many different studies about the prevalence of MetS in Iran, but the results and the study populations of these studies are very different; therefore, it is very important to have an overall estimation of its prevalence in Iran.

OBJECTIVES

This study systematically reviewed the findings of all available studies on MetS in the adult Iranian population and estimated the overall prevalence of MetS in this population.

DATA SOURCES

International databases (Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and PubMed) were searched for papers published from January, 2000 to December, 2013 using medical subject headings (MeSH), Emtree, and related keywords (metabolic syndrome, dysmetabolic syndrome, cardiovascular syndrome, and insulin resistance syndrome) combined with the words "prevalence" and "Iran." The Farsi equivalent of these terms and all probable combinations were used to search Persian national databases (IranMedex, Magiran, SID, and Irandoc).

STUDY SELECTION

All population-based studies and national surveys that reported the prevalence of MetS in healthy Iranian adults were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

After quality assessment, data were extracted according to a standard protocol. Because of between-study heterogeneity, data were analyzed by the random effect method.

RESULTS

We recruited the data of 27 local studies and one national study. The overall estimation of MetS prevalence was 36.9% (95% CI: 32.7 - 41.2%) based on the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria, 34.6% (95% CI: 31.7 - 37.6%) according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and 41.5% (95% CI: 29.8 - 53.2%) based on the Joint Interim Societies (JIS) criteria. The prevalence of MetS determined by JIS was significantly higher than those determined by ATP III and IDF. The prevalence of MetS was 15.4% lower in men than in women (27.7% versus 43.1%) based on the ATP III criteria, and it was 11.3% lower in men based on the IDF criteria; however according to the JIS criteria, it was 8.4% more prevalent in men.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high prevalence of MetS in the Iranian adult population, with large variations based on different measurement criteria. Therefore, prevention and control of MetS should be considered a priority.

Effect of metabolic control on oxidative stress, subclinical atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease in diabetic patients

Introduction

By rising diabetes mellitus prevalence, the prevalence of its most complication; cardiovascular disease (CVD) is also increasing. Moreover, oxidative stress has important role in pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. We investigated relationship between total antioxidant status (TAS) and surrogate measures of subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) with glycemic status in diabetics.

Methods & materials

In a cross-sectional study, we recorded height, weight, waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure of 267 subjects. Blood samples were collected to measure fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profiles and TAS. The surrogate measures of SA were Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT), and Ankle Brachial Index (ABI).

Results

We found significantly lower TAS leves and ABI values and higher CIMT in diabetic patients especially in poor glycemic group. There was a nonsignificant, weak correlation between TAS, ABI and CIMT with glycemic status (r = −0.10, −0.16, and +0.09, respectively). Multivariate regression analysis showed a significant influence of increasing age and diabetes duration on worsening CIMT in poor glycemic group.

Conclusions

Our study showed poor glycemic control leads to worse CIMT by increasing age and duration of diabetes. However we did not find a significan correlation between glycemic status and TAS levels. We suggest CIMT measurement along with other SA markers in poor glycemic diabetics, especially in older patients with longer duration of diabetes, to identify high risk CVD patients.

The value of the apoB/apoAΙ ratio and the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio in predicting carotid atherosclerosis among Chinese individuals with metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), which is a good predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, among individuals with MetS, direct comparative data regarding the utility of the apoB/apoAΙ ratio and the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio to diagnose carotid atherosclerosis are scarce, particularly in Chinese populations. We aimed to determine the relationship between the apoB/apoAΙ ratio and the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio and carotid atherosclerosis among Chinese individuals with MetS.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of 5822 Chinese participants who underwent a routine health screening examination. Lipid profiles, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, CRP, apoB, apoAΙ and CIMT were measured.

RESULTS

We observed that among Chinese individuals with MetS, men (53.95±0.58 ys) developed carotid atherosclerosis at a younger age than women (58.47±1.17 ys) (P<0.001). Both the apoB/apoAΙ ratio and the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio positively correlated with carotid atherosclerosis among Chinese individuals with MetS, particularly among women. Meanwhile, CIMT increased progressively across the quartiles of the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio (P for trend, <0.05). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that the AUC of the apoB/apoAΙ ratio (0.561) was higher than that of the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio (0.522) in men (P<0.05) and the AUC of the apoB/apoAΙ ratio (0.640) was lower than that of the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio (0.695) in women (P<0.05). Among Chinese individuals with MetS, the AUC of the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio was more prominent among women compared with men (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that among individuals with MetS, Chinese men develop carotid atherosclerosis at a much younger age than women. There were no significant differences between the apoB/apoAΙ ratio and the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio for the prediction of carotid atherosclerosis among Chinese individuals with MetS. Among Chinese individuals with MetS, the utility of the non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio was found to be greater among women than among men.

Decision tree analysis of traditional risk factors of carotid atherosclerosis and a cutpoint-based prevention strategy

BACKGROUND

Reducing the exposure to risk factors for the prevention of cardio-cerebral vascular disease is a crucial issue. Few reports have described practical interventions for preventing cardiovascular disease in different genders and age groups, particularly detailed and specific cutpoint-based prevention strategies.

METHODS

We collected the health examination data of 5822 subjects between 20 and 80 years of age. The administration of medical questionnaires and physical examinations and the measurement of blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and blood lipids [total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)] were performed by physicians. Carotid ultrasound was performed to examine the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), which was defined as carotid atherosclerosis when CIMT ≥0.9 mm. Decision tree analysis was used to screen for the most important risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis and to identify the relevant cutpoints.

RESULTS

In the study population, the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis was 12.20% (men: 14.10%, women: 9.20%). The statistical analysis showed significant differences in carotid atherosclerosis incidence between different genders (P<0.0001) and age groups (P<0.001). The decision tree analysis showed that in men, the most important traditional risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis were TC (cutpoint [CP]: 6.31 mmol/L) between the ages of 20-40 and FPG (CP: 5.79 mmol/L) between the ages of 41-59. By comparison, LDL-C (CP: 4.27 mmol/L) became the major risk factor when FPG ≤5.79 mmol/L. FPG (CP: 5.52 mmol/L) and TG (CP: 1.51 mmol/L) were the most important traditional risk factors for women between 20-40 and 41-59 years of age, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Traditional risk factors and relevant cutpoints were not identical in different genders and age groups. A specific gender and age group-based cutpoint strategy might contribute to preventing cardiovascular disease.