Prevalence of metabolic syndrome is comparable between inflammatory bowel disease patients and the general population

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, its prevalence in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients remains largely unknown. This study was planned to determine the prevalence of MS in Japanese IBD patients. Methods: The prevalence of MS among outpatients with IBD aged 18 or older was studied using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition. Results: A total of 107 quiescent IBD patients, including 76 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and 31 Crohn's disease (CD) patients, were studied. Sufficient data were collected from a total of 102 patients. Prevalence of MS was significantly higher in UC (23.0%) patients compared to CD patients (7.1%). MS prevalence was substantially higher among male IBD patients (21.1%) compared to female IBD patients (12.9%), particularly in patients over 30 years of age. No difference was observed in the prevalence of MS between our IBD cohort and the general population in both males and females aged 40 years and older (P = 0.707 in males, P = 0.328 in females). IBD patients with MS were also older than those without (50.2 ± 15.0 vs. 38.0 ± 11.9 years, P = 0.013). In a logistic regression analysis, age was the statistically significant predictor of MS among IBD patients. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.064 (1.017-1.114). Conclusions: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our IBD patients was comparable to that of the general population. Because age was the independent risk factor for developing MS, evaluation for MS is needed for elderly IBD patients.