Metabolic syndrome and its components as predictors of stroke in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people

Abstract Background and purpose: Little information is available on the role of metabolic syndrome (MetS) to predict first-ever stroke in the Chinese mainland. In this study, we investigated whether the metabolic syndrome and its single components, defined by original National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and updated NCEP, could predict stroke in the middle-aged and elderly (40-85 years) Chinese population. Methods: In this prospective study, three metabolic syndrome definitions were applied to 19 369 subjects aged 40-85 years who were free of stroke and/or myocardial infarction at baseline and were followed up to 3 years. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval of metabolic syndrome and its single components with the first-ever stroke. Results: The metabolic syndrome defined by the original NCEP, IDF and updated NCEP were all significantly associated with stroke even ...