ORLANDO, FLA. — Metabolic syndrome may be a greater risk factor for stroke and vascular events in women than in men, and limited access to social resources appears to contribute to its development, 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, assistant professor of neurology and public health at the Neurological Institute, New York.
After adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, education, and risk factors, the estimated effect of metabolic syndrome on vascular events—including ischemic stroke, heart attack, and vascular death—was significantly greater in women (hazard ratio 1.8) than in men (1.4). The hazard ratios 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 in the study, she said during a news conference at the meeting.
Metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in Hispanic women (48%) than in white (36%) or black (34%) women. In a multivariable logistic regression, after adjustment for age, the women with metabolic syndrome were significantly more likely to be Hispanic (hazard ratio 1.6), socially isolated (1.4), Medicaid users (1.3), and physically inactive (1.3)—all factors that Dr. Boden-Albala said represent reduced access to social resources.
The findings are important, given that women and minorities account for the majority of the 47 million Americans with metabolic syndrome, and they suggest that women may be more vulnerable than men to the risks associated with metabolic syndrome, she said.