estimating the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its treatment measures taken in erbil

Metabolic syndrome (mets) is one of the most common syndromes associated with the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. this study aims to identify the prevalence, demographic characteristics, and knowledge of health workers about metabolic syndrome. this cross-sectional study was conducted - at the rizgary teaching hospital in erbil city/iraqi kurdistan region from june to august 2023. the data were collected from 164 patients and 51 health workers based on convenience sampling methods. the mets prevalence was estimated using the ncep atp iii criteria. waist circumference (wc) was measured in accordance with the who steps protocol, and serum glucose and lipid profiles were determined using cobas integra 400 plus. a comprehensive survey comprising 17 items was used to assess the knowledge of healthcare. the mets prevalence was 53.0% (87 patients). mets was more common in elderly patients, with significant differences among the age groups (p ≤ 0.001). patients with a family history of dm or htn or ihd had a higher prevalence of mets (p = 0.022). the level of physical exercise and body mass index (bmi) were significantly correlated with mets (p ≤ 0.001). both the groups had good knowledge. the results of this study demonstrated a high prevalence of mets among hospitalized patients in erbil city, emphasizing the need for targeted intervention. in addition, the knowledge gap among healthcare providers suggests a need for focused educational programs.