Association of cystatin C levels with metabolic syndrome incidence: a nested case-control study with propensity score matching

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) involves multiple metabolic disorders and seriously affects human health. Identification of key biological factors associated with MetS incidence is therefore important. We explored the association between MetS and the biochemical profiles of Chinese adults in Shenyang City in a nested case-control study. METHODS: We included adult participants who underwent physical examination at our hospital for 2 consecutive years. Participants’ biochemical profiles and other MetS components were tested and monitored continuously. Propensity score matching was used to adjust confounding factors between participants with and without MetS. We analyzed the association between incidence of MetS and the biochemical profiles of participants. RESULTS: Of 5702 participants who underwent physical examination between 1 January 2017 and 1 December 2018, 538 had confirmed newly developed MetS. After successfully matching 436 pairs of participants, mean cystatin C (Cys-C) level was significantly higher in the MetS group than in the non-MetS group. Logistic regression analysis indicated that age (years) and γ-glutamate transpeptidase, creatinine, uric acid, and Cys-C levels were significantly associated with MetS incidence; among these, the odds ratio of Cys-C was highest (3.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–9.00). CONCLUSIONS: Cys-C levels were significantly associated with the incidence of MetS among Chinese adults.