Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and its Individual Features Across Different (Normal, Overweight, Pre-Obese and Obese) Body Mass Index (BMI) Categories in a Tertiary Hospital in the Philippines

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its individual components across different BMI categories among patients seen at Wellness Center and Obesity and Weight Management Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City. METHODOLOGY: This was a 3-year retrospective study of patients seen at the institution from 2013 to 2016. The patients were divided according to Asia-Pacific BMI categories and presence of metabolic syndrome was determined as defined by NCEP/ATP III-AHA/NHLBI (2005). RESULTS: This study included a total of 1367 adult patients with the mean age of 53 (SD=12.4). The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 51.0%. Its prevalence across the different BMI categories are as follows: 29.6 % with Normal BMI (BMI 18.5-22.9 kg/m(2)), 38.9% in overweight (BMI 23-24.9 kg/m(2)), 56.9% in Pre-Obese (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)) and 62.4% in Obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)) subgroup. Presence of central obesity using the Asian cut-off has the highest prevalence among patients with metabolic syndrome across all categories. In the group with normal BMI, hypertension and elevated blood glucose were highest with central obesity being the least common but still with 7.3% of individuals meeting the criteria for central obesity. CONCLUSION: There is high prevalence of metabolic syndrome even in patients with normal BMI. Diagnosis and screening for its individual components should not only be confined to individuals with higher BMI.