OBJECTIVE -To estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome by age and sex in the RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -We analyzed data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2001 containing a probability random sample of 1,419 Omani adults aged Ն20 years living in the city of Nizwa. The metabolic syndrome, defined by the ATP III, was defined as having three or more of the following abnormalities: waist circumference Ͼ102 cm in men and Ͼ88 cm in women, serum triglycerides Ն150 mg/dl (1.69 mmol/l), HDL cholesterol Ͻ40 mg/dl (1.04 mmol/l) in men and Ͻ50 mg/dl (1.29 mmol/l) in women, systolic blood pressure Ն130 mmHg and/or diastolic Ն85 mmHg or on treatment for hypertension, and fasting serum glucose Ն110 mg/dl (6.1 mmol/l) or on treatment for diabetes.RESULTS -The age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 21.0%. The crude prevalence was slightly lower (17.0%). The age-adjusted prevalence was 19.5% among men and 23.0% among women (P ϭ 0.236). Low HDL cholesterol was the most common component (75.4%) of the metabolic syndrome among the study population followed by abdominal obesity (24.6%). Abdominal obesity was markedly higher in women (44.3%) than in men (4.7%).CONCLUSIONS -The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Oman is similar to that in developed countries. Future prevention and control strategies should not overlook the importance of noncommunicable disease risk factors in rapidly developing countries. Diabetes Care 26:1781-1785, 2003P eople with abnormal glucose metabolism, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia constitute a major challenge facing health systems in developed and developing countries. Such people are at substantially increased risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including coronary artery, cerebrovasular, and peripheral vascular diseases necessitating long-term care (1,2).Several studies have illustrated a high prevalence of diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, obesity, and hypertension among Arab populations of the Middle East, including Omanis (3-10). However, all of these studies focused on estimating the population distribution of major risk factors for CVDs, and only one (11) RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Study populationAs part of the initiative to obtain baseline data on CVD risk factors before the implementation of a community-based healthy lifestyle intervention project, a crosssectional survey was conducted between April and June 2001 in the city of Nizwa (capital of the main Interior Province of Oman with 66,000 inhabitants and 180 km away from the national capital Muscat) (Fig. 1). The target group was all Omanis aged Ն20 years who resided in this city for at least 6 months before the date of the survey. The sample size, 1,000 men and women, was calculated for gender-specific analyses based on the estimate of the national prevalence of diabetes (10%), a nonresponse rate of 20%, and an error margin of 20% on each side of the 95% confidence intervals for any point estimate (Epinfo version 6; CDC, Atlanta, GA). Two-stage cluster sampling wa...

The prevalence of diabetes is high in Oman and has increased over the past decade. The high rate of abnormal fasting glucose together with high rates of overweight and obesity in the population make it likely that diabetes will continue to be a major health problem in Oman. Primary prevention programmes are urgently needed to counteract major risk factors that promote the development of diabetes.

These data show that fractional doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine administered intradermally at 2, 4, and 6 months, as compared with full doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine given intramuscularly on the same schedule, induce similar levels of seroconversion but significantly lower titers. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN17418767.)

The risk of recurrence after electro-epilation and bilamellar tarsal rotation surgery is high; strategies that account for recurrence need to be introduced.

The high rates of noncompliance among glaucoma patients in Oman demand a systematic programmed approach. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causal association between noncompliance and Knowledge, Attitude and Practice. Health education, communication while dispensing medication, reducing the frequency of medication and using devices for the easy administration of eyedrops could further improve compliance.

Allergic conditions in Omani schoolchildren are common and associated with significant morbidity. Further research is required to identify the local risk factors for allergy to allow better understanding and management of these conditions.

Younger Omani adults exhibit worse glycemic levels compared to older adults posing a formidable challenge to diabetes care teams.

We aimed to determine the gender-specific optimal cut-points for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, using Framingham risk score and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, among Omani Arabs. Nine percent of men, compared to 3% of women, had a 10-year total coronary heart disease (CHD) risk > or = 20%. In both genders, WHR was a better predictor of CHD (area under the ROC curve 0.771 for men and 0.802 for women), followed by WC (0.710 and 0.727) and BMI (0.601 and 0.639), respectively. For a 10-year CHD risk of > or = 20%, the optimal cut-points to assess adiposity in Omani men and women were > 22.6 and 22.9 kg/m2 for BMI, > 78.5 and 84.5 cm for WC, and > 0.96 and > 0.98 for WHR, respectively. To identify obesity among Omani Arabs, different cut-points for BMI, WC and WHR than the currently recommended ones are needed.