ORLANDO, FLA. — Metabolic syndrome may be a greater risk factor for stroke and vascular events in women than in men, Bernadette Boden-Albala, Ph.D., reported at an international conference on women, heart disease, and stroke.
In the longitudinal Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) of 3,297 adult community residents who were stroke-free at study entry and followed for a mean of 5 years, nearly 46% of the 2,077 women and 35% of the men met the criteria for metabolic syndrome at study entry, said Dr. Boden-Albala of the Neurological Institute, New York.
After adjustment for age, race and ethnicity, education, and risk factors, the effect of metabolic syndrome on vascular events was significantly greater in women (hazard ratio [HR] 1.8) than in men (1.4). The HRs for stroke risk associated with metabolic syndrome were 2.0 for women and 1.1 for men. Metabolic syndrome accounted for 27% of vascular events and 30% of stroke events in women.
Metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in Hispanic (48%) than in white (36%) or black (34%) women. After adjustment for age, women with metabolic syndrome were significantly more likely to be Hispanic, socially isolated, Medicaid users, and physically inactive.