Metabolic syndrome among people with mental illness in sub Saharan Africa: Female gender as a factor. A Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric patients in developing nations is mounting alarmingly and it is a reason for decreased life expectancy and quality of life of people with mental illness. Although great discrepant epidemiological studies have been carried out in Sub Saharan African countries, there has no systematic review and meta-analysis conducted. Therefore, summarized evidence has a paramount importance for policy makers and health planning. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and to examine the effect of gender on metabolic syndrome among people with mental illness in sub Saharan Africa. Method Systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, CINAHL, Web of science, Global health electronic databases. In addition, gray literatures were retrieved from Google and Google scholar. Two authors independently extracted all the necessary data using a format prepared in Microsoft Excel. Data analysis was done using STATA Version 14 (software). The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using I 2 test.Random-effects model was used to estimate pooled prevalence of MetS and its odds ratio. Publication bias was checked using Funnel plot and Egger's test. Result 1306 studies were reviewed and nine studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of nine studies that included 1896 participants found a prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome which was performed based on assessment criteria; JIS criteria prevalence 21.11% (95% CI: 17.93–24.29), IDF criteria 23.77% (95% CI: 15.41–32.12) and NCEP ATP-III criteria 21.63% (95% CI: 16.30–26.96). Female gender (AOR = 3.00; 95% CI: 1.98–4.55) was found to have a significant association with metabolic syndrome. Conclusion The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among people with mental illness in sub Saharan Africa is high in various assessment criteria. The likelihood is significantly increased in females than males. Metabolic syndrome increases by three folds among females with mental illness as compared to their counterparts.

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in African populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the prevalence of MS in Africa have been conducted in selected countries, with wide disparities and inconsistent results [ 27 , 28 ]. Many systematic reviews on the prevalence of MS have been conducted, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, and have focused on specific populations such as apparently healthy patients [ 14 ], patients with type 2 diabetes [ 29 ], people living with HIV [ 30 ] or people with mental illness [ 31 ] and have not included all available data on the continent’s epidemiological situation of MS. As a result, there is a lack of systematic evidence on the prevalence of MS in many African countries, and there is no realistic picture of the continent’s prevalence of MS. As a result, evidence from various populations and diagnostic definitions must be compiled.…”

Mental health education for physiotherapists: A scoping review

“…People living with mental illness have a higher prevalence of metabolic syndromes than the rest of the population in sub-Saharan Africa. 24 Metabolic syndromes (MetS) consist of a cluster of conditions including abdominal obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Patients with MetS have a greater risk for reduced PA performance.…”