Metabolic Syndrome of Free-Living Elderly From Sharpeville, South Africa: A Prospective Cohort Study With 10-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to provide evidence on the prevalence of the metabolic factors contributing to Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among elderly people in South Africa. Design: An ethically approved, cross-sectional survey study conducted in a cohort of an elderly population in 2004 with follow-up in 2014. Setting: An elderly day-care center. Participants: A total of 170 men and women were randomly selected for the baseline survey (2004). Only 105 of the subjects included in the baseline study were available for the follow-up study (2014). The sample consisted of 83.2% (n=89) women and 16.8% (n=16) men with a mean±SD age of 95.8±6.2 and 71.8±5.7 years in 2014 and 2004 respectively. Measurements: Dietary intakes (24-hour recall questionnaire) were completed for a period of three non-consecutive days, including one weekend day and two week days. Other measurements included waist circumference (WC), blood pressure and fasting (>8 hours) venous blood samples that were analyzed for total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), tryglicerides (TGs) and glucose. The Friedewald formula was used to calculate LDL-C (16). Results: The prevalence of MetS was significantly (p=0.000) higher in 2014 (63.4%) compared to 2004 (48.8%). The most prominent risk factors were central obesity (85.9%), low serum HDL-C (71.0%) and high serum TG (68.1%) levels in 2004 compared to central obesity (82.5%), low serum HDL-C (94.3%) and hyperglycaemia (48.1%) in 2014. Conclusions: MetS is highly prevalent and rapidly increasing among these elderly people. A need for identifying preventative and treatment strategies to increase wellness and reduce morbidity has been highlighted by these results.