Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk level in a vulnerable population

<jats:p>This study examined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the risk level of cardiovascular disease (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CVD</jats:styled-content>) in a vulnerable population of 407 subjects in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">K</jats:styled-content>orea. This descriptive study was a part of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">T</jats:styled-content>ailed <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">H</jats:styled-content>ealth <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">V</jats:styled-content>isiting <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>ervice <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">P</jats:styled-content>rogram, using baseline data from public health centres in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>uwon, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">K</jats:styled-content>orea. The definition of metabolic syndrome was based on the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content>ational <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>holesterol <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>ducation <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">P</jats:styled-content>rogram criteria, and risk of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CVD</jats:styled-content> was estimated according to the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">F</jats:styled-content>ramingham study equation. This study demonstrated that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 40.8% higher and the risk of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CVD</jats:styled-content> was significantly 3.1 times higher among those with metabolic syndrome than among those without it. Of those with metabolic syndrome, 50.6% overall and 81.1% of men had a high risk for <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CVD</jats:styled-content>. These findings suggest a need to screen and prevent the risk of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CVD</jats:styled-content> in vulnerable populations with metabolic syndrome.</jats:p>