Health Care Access and Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among Elders Living in High-Altitude Areas of the Mediterranean Islands: The MEDIS Study

Abstract

■ Abstract AIM:The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relationships between sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics and the presence of metabolic syndrome, among high and low altitude living elderly individuals without known CVD. METHODS: During 2005During -2011During , 1959 elderly (aged 65 to 100 years) individuals from 13 Mediterranean islands were enrolled. Sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors were assessed using standard procedures. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the (Adult Treatment Panel) ATP III criteria. Mountainous areas were defined those more than 400 meters in height. RESULTS: For the present analysis 713 men and 596 women were studied; the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 29% (24% in men, 35% in women, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 55% in the elders living in mountainous areas, as compared with 26% among those living at sea-level (p = 0.01). Similarly, the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity were higher in high altitude as compared with low altitude areas (all pvalues < 0.01). After adjusting for various confounders, elders living in high altitude areas were 3.06-times more likely to have the metabolic syndrome than those living at sea-level (OR = 3.06, 95%CI 2.02-4.65). However, when the annual number of visits to health care centers was taken into account, the effect of altitude of living was not associated with the presence of the syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable proportion of mountainous living elderly had the metabolic syndrome. Public health actions need to be taken to reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disorders by enabling better access to health care, especially in remote mountainous rural areas.

Factors Associated With Components of Arterial Pressure Among Older Individuals (the Multinational MEDIS Study): The Role of the Mediterranean Diet and Alcohol Consumption

“…Further details about the MEDIS study protocol may be found elsewhere. 10,22 Data Analysis Prevalence of hypertension was calculated as the rate of cases divided by the study sample. Normally distributed continuous variables were presented as meanAEstandard deviation and categorical variables as frequencies.…”

“…The aim of this work was to evaluate factors associated with arterial blood pressure in a sample of older Mediterranean people without known cardiovascular disease. During 2005 to 2011, 2813 older (aged 65-100 years) individuals from 22 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) voluntarily enrolled. Standard procedures were used to determine arterial BP and pulse pressure and for the evaluation of dietary habits (including tea and alcoholic beverages consumption), lifestyle, and anthropometric and clinical characteristics of the participants.…”

Low Total Testosterone Levels are Associated With the Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Men: The Role of Body Weight, Lipids, Insulin Resistance, and Inflammation; The Ikaria Study

“…Metabolic syndrome remains one of the leading threats for cardiovascular health in advanced age [3,6]. The prevalence of MetS varies from country to country and region to region, around the world, but data regarding elderly populations are sparse in the literature.…”

“…In humans, the aging process is altered or accelerated when metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) occur [1,2]. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) shows increased prevalence in the elderly population and makes a further contribution to cardiovascular deterioration and total mortality [3,4]. This syndrome has been defined as a cluster of conditions, including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hypertension, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and increased very low density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels [5].…”

Altitudes of residential areas affect salt intake in a rural area in Japan: a Shimane CoHRE Study

“…26 They argued that people living in mountainous regions had fewer opportunities to use healthpromoting facilities due to inconvenience or remoteness. To examine whether similar inconveniences were indeed present in our population, we assessed the number of food shops and bus stops in the studied counties according to their altitudes using the geographic information system.…”