Abstract:
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a general risk factor for cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease
(CKD) in Western populations. This study assessed the relationship between MetS and its compo-
nents in Ghanaian patients presenting with CKD. The study population comprised of 146 non-
dialysed individuals with CKD with mean age of 50.2±1.1 years. Eighty (80) age and sex matched
healthy participants without kidney pathology were used as controls. Estimated GFR (eGFR) was
calculated using the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (4v-MDRD) and CKD was
defined as eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73m2. MetS was defined as the presence of three or more of the
following risk factors according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment
Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria: elevated blood pressure (BP), low high density lipoprotein cho-
lesterol (HDL-C), high triglycerides (TG), elevated plasma glucose and abdominal obesity. The
prevalence of MetS in this study was 30.1% and a significant relationship was observed between the
number of MetS components and the presence CKD. The CKD group are about 3 times at risk of
developing MetS as compared to the control group (95% CI=0.9-8.8). Female participants with
CKD are 9 fold at risk of developing MetS as compared to the male counterparts (95% CI=1.7-47.9).
The CKD patients were about 2 fold at risk of developing hypertension (95% CI=1.7-3.3) and dia-
betes (95% CI=1.2-2.6), about 3 times at risk of developing hypertriglyceridaemia (95% CI=1.1-5.5)
and approximately 4 times at risk of developing proteinuria (95% CI=2.7-7.0). Increased WC, TG
and SBP are components of the metabolic syndrome which contribute to the initiation and pro-
gression of CKD.
