Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in obese medical students –a case control study

Introduction: The Metabolic Syndrome is a constellation of risk factors predictive of future Cardio Vascular Accidents (CVA) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in adults. Recently several studies revealed that metabolic syndrome is present in younger populations, suggesting that the origin of chronic metabolic diseases manifest relatively early in life. Objectives: To assess the risk of metabolic syndrome in young obese students by assessing physical and biochemical parameters. Materials and Method: This study comprised of students studying MBBS at Guntur Medical College. 30 Males and 31 Females between 18 to 22 years, with increased BMI were considered as cases and age matched 30 Male and 34 Female students with normal BMI were considered controls. Physical Parameters like Weight, Height, Blood Pressure, Waist Circumference and Biochemical parameters like Fasting Plasma Glucose and Lipid profile were analyzed for risk assessment of metabolic syndrome. Results: It was observed that 23.33% of male cases and 19.35% of female cases had Metabolic Syndrome. Conclusion: In our study, young obese subjects were more prone to Metabolic Syndrome. The metabolic syndrome and its future consequences, including CVA and T2DM, continue to increase until we find ways to prevent obesity. This can be achieved through adopting the required healthy life style changes.