Metabolic syndrome and C-reactive protein in bank employees

Monica Cattafesta,1 Nazaré Souza Bissoli,2 Luciane Bresciani Salaroli,1,31Postgraduate Program in Nutrition and Health, 2Postgraduate Program in Physiological Sciences, 3Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Department of Health Integrated Education, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil Background: The ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP) is used for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, but it is not well described as a marker for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: An observational and transversal study of bank employees evaluated anthropometric, hemodynamic, and biochemical data. CRP values were determined using commercial kits from Roche Diagnostics Ltd, and MS criteria were analyzed according to National Cholesterol Education Program’s – Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III). Results: A total of 88 individuals had MS, and 77.3% (n=68) of these showed alterations of us-CRP (P=0.0001, confidence interval [CI] 0.11–0.34). Individuals with MS had higher mean values of us-CRP in global measures (P=0.0001) and stratified by sex (P=0.004) than individuals without the syndrome. This marker exhibited significant differences with varying criteria for MS, such as waist circumference (P=0.0001), triglycerides (P=0.002), and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.007), and the highest levels of us-CRP were found in individuals with more MS criteria. Conclusion: us-CRP was strongly associated with the presence of MS and MS criteria in this group of workers. us-CRP is a useful and effective marker for identifying the development of MS and may be used as a reference in routine care. Keywords: C-reactive protein, bank employees, metabolic syndrome, inflammation mediators, occupational healt

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related factors in bank employees according to different defining criteria, Vitória/ES, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related factors in bank employees in the city of Vitoria/ES, Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that included 521 working men and women ≥20 years of age. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, biochemical, and hemodynamic characteristics were collected. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program-ATPIII and the International Diabetes Federation. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the crude and adjusted OR of the variables, and the statistical level of significance was set at 5.0%. RESULTS: We identified 86 (17.2%) and 113 (22.6%) subjects with metabolic syndrome according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program-ATPIII and the International Diabetes Federation, respectively. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome was higher in individuals with a high school education (OR 2.6 [CI(95%), 1.1-6.1]). In overweight and obese subjects, the risks were also higher (OR 12.6 [CI(95%), 4.8-33.2, p = 0.000] and OR 43.7% [CI(95%), 16.1-118.9, p = 0.000], respectively). CONCLUSION: A large number of bank employees have metabolic syndrome, which can be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Individuals who had college degrees had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome; this finding can be explained by the high rates of overweight and obesity found in subjects with college and graduate school educations