Frequency and predictors of metabolic syndrome in adolescents/first year medical students of a public sector medical college Quetta,Pakistan

Objective: to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in medical students. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted at the bolan medical college,quetta,pakistan,from august 2015 to january 2016,and comprised healthy first-year medical students. demographic data was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. height,weight and waist circumference were measured along with fasting blood sugar,high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides by using automated biochemistry analyser. spss 20 was used for data analysis. results: of the 225 participants,127(56.4%) were females. the overall mean age was 18.80±0.426 years. frequency of metabolic syndrome was 32(14.2%). increased waist circumference,fasting blood sugar and triglycerides were associated with an increased likelihood of exhibiting metabolic syndrome (p<0,05 each). male gender and high-density lipoprotein were found to be protective against metabolic syndrome (p<0.05 each). conclusion: the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is increasing in our adolescent population which demands screening from childhood and early adolescence. © 2017,pakistan medical association. all rights reserved.