Metabolic syndrome prevalence in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex of risk factors which increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, morbidity and mortality in people. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of MetS in Iran using a meta-analysis study. The SID, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib, Google Scholar and PubMed databases were searched for MetS prevalence. 26 articles conducted between 2003 and 2013 in Iran were selected and the obtained data were analyzed by a meta-analysis using random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics. Data were analyzed by R software and STATA (Ver. 11.2). The total sample size was 60635 people with the age range of 3-90 years. The metabolic syndrome prevalence based on IDF definition was 36% (95% CI: 0.32-0.40) and based to ATPIII was 27% (95% CI: 0.22-0.32). Based on IDF definition, the MetS prevalence rates in women and men were0.39 (95% CI: 0.19-0.59) and 0.20 (95% CI: 0.10-0.29), respectively. The findings showed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Iran, especially in women, which increases with age in both sexes. Health care providers and policy makers need to find solutions to reduce MetS risk in the society.