Metabolic Syndrome and Pre-Metabolic Syndrome among Health Care Workers in Yemen

Background: There is an increased prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its risk factors among Health Care Workers (HCWs), which in turn contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases. This increased prevalence reached alarming levels of global health and socioeconomic concern. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of MetS and pre-Metabolic Syndrome (pre-MetS), as well as their components, among HCWs in Sana’a City, Yemen. Subjects and Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study conducted between February and July 2021. Two hospitals were randomly selected, one public (Al-Kuwait University Hospital) and one private (the University of Science and Technology Hospital). The study sample consisted of 282 HCWs. Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage were calculated. All participants underwent physical examinations at baseline. Fasting plasma glucose, uric acid, urea, creatinine, and lipid profile levels were measured. MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation. Results: Of the 282 HCWs included in our study, 158 (56.0%) were females, and the remaining 124 (44.0%) were males. Their ages ranged from 20 to 59 years, with a mean of 31.8 ± 7.2 years. The majority of subjects were non-smokers (85.1%). The prevalence of pre-MetS and MetS was 26.2% and 16.3%, respectively. HCWs aged 40 or older and smokers had 6.5 and 4.3 times more risk of having MetS than those less than 40 years old and nonsmokers, respectively. The presence of both pre-MetS and MetS was positively associated with BMI, LDL-c/HDL-c, TC/HDL-c, and non-HDL-c ratios. Conclusion: The study revealed an alarming prevalence of MetS among HCWs, which increased with age. Both pre-MetS and MetS were present only in overweight individuals and associated with a wide range of adiposity and lipid profile measures, reflecting a drastically poor health profile among Yemeni HCWs. Keywords: Metabolic syndrome; Health care workers; Health personnel; Yemen