The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a collection of metabolic disorders which leads to early cardiovascular disease and diabetes type II. Regarding the wide range of its prevalence in Iran, this systematic review and meta-analysis determined the overall prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Iran. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the Medline, ISI, IranMedex, and SID were searched using “metabolic syndrome”, “syndrome X”, “prevalence”, and “Iran” keywords from 2002 to 2012. A total of 223 articles were found in which 14 studies were considered for meta-analysis. Data were analyzed using fixed and random model and meta-regression in STATA. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS for those who were 20 yr and older was 23.8% (95%CI: 18.99–28.67) and in under 20 was 10.98% (95%CI: 7.75–14.2). Metabolic syndrome was more frequent in women (25.5%) than in men (17.16%) and was increased with increasing age. The most frequent component of metabolic syndrome was low HDL cholesterol (59.7%) followed by hypertriglyceridemia (39.5%). CONCLUSION: Regarding a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and some of its components such as low HDL and high triglyceride in our country, implementation of programs for metabolic syndrome prevention is necessary.