Metabolic syndrome predicts poor health-related quality of life in women but not in men: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

Objective: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in those with and without metabolic syndrome in a general Iranian population.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of HRQOL conducted in a sample of individuals with and without metabolic syndrome using the data obtained from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) and information specifically collected for the present investigation. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the adult treatment panel III (ATPIII) and HRQOL was assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Logistic regression analyses were performed for the whole sample and both sexes while adjusting for potential confounders in order to estimate odds ratios for predicting HRQOL in this population.

Results: In all, 950 participants with (n = 361) and without (n = 589) metabolic syndrome were studied. The mean age of participants was 46.5 +/- 14.4 years. In women, but not in men, metabolic syndrome had an independent role in predicting poor HRQOL. With increase in the number of metabolic syndrome components, there was a significant decreasing trend in women's physical component summary scores.

Conclusions: The results indicate that metabolic syndrome is associated with poor HRQOL in women but not in men, and the association is formed mainly in relation to physical rather than mental health.