Metabolic Syndrome Severity Score in Korean Adults: Analysis of the 2010–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background Continuous metabolic syndrome (MS) severity scores that can track metabolic risk in individuals over time have been developed for Western populations. The present study aimed to develop gender- and age-specific equations for MS severity scores in Korean adults. Methods Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) IV (2010–2012) and VI (2013–2015), we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of single MS factor that allowed for differential loadings across groups to generate gender- and age-specific, continuous MS severity scores. Then, we validated this equation in a different dataset of Korean adults. Results In confirmatory analysis, waist circumference had the highest factor loading, indicating that waist circumference had the strongest correlation with MS among Korean adults. Lower factor loadings (< 0.4) among Korean adults aged 40–59 years were noted for systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose. MS severity score values were significantly correlated with metabolic parameters, including high-sensitivity C-reactive-protein, glycated hemoglobin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Furthermore, MS severity scores well predicted traditional MS according to receiver operating characteristic analysis in a validation dataset (KNHANES VII). In a longitudinal cohort dataset, participants diagnosed with Adult Treatment Program III (ATP-III) MS after an initial assessment had progressively higher baseline MS severity scores in relationship to their time until ATP-III MS diagnosis. Conclusion The new MS severity score equations for Korean adults proposed in this study provide a clinically-accessible continuous measure of MS for potential use in identifying adults at higher risk for MS-related diseases and following changes within individuals over time.
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