Prevalence and Characteristics of Prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome in Seemingly Healthy Persons at a Health Check-Up Clinic

PURPOSE: This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of prediabetes (PreDM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in seemingly healthy persons attending a health check-up clinic at a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1213 subjects (339 male, 874 female) who underwent an annual health check-up at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand from 2009 to 2019. Factors that independently related to PreDM were analyzed using unconditional logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, BMI, and gender. RESULTS: The prevalence of PreDM and MetS was 54.3% and 19.7% respectively. Participants with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) 38.8–46.4 mmol/mol had significantly higher waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) compared to those with IFG or HbA(1c) 38.8–46.4 mmol/mol alone (P < 0.05). Among three PreDM subgroups, the average age was lowest in the HbA(1c) 38.8–46.4 mmol/mol subgroup (P < 0.001). PreDM participants with MetS were older (p = 0.03), had higher WC, BP, fasting plasma glucose and serum triglyceride level (all P < 0.001) but had lower serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed high MetS score, obesity, and low serum HDL cholesterol level to be independently associated with PreDM with odds ratios of 9.02 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.03–20.18), 1.8 (95% CI: 1.07–3.04), and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.02–1.96), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PreDM and MetS was relatively high in seemingly healthy persons. Distinct PreDM subgroups with or without MetS exhibited diverse clinical and biochemical features suggesting dissimilar pathogenesis.