Clusters of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Their Association with Atherosclerosis and Chronic Inflammation among Adults and Elderly in Florianópolis, Southern Brazil.

Background: The significant increase in cardiovascular diseases in developing countries alerts about their impact on underprivileged populations.

Objective: To identify the relationship of clusters of metabolic syndrome (MS) components with atherosclerosis and chronic inflammation among adults and elderly.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis using data from two population-based cohort studies in Florianópolis, Southern Brazil (EpiFloripa Adult Cohort Study, n = 862, 39.9±11.5 years; EpiFloripa Aging Cohort Study, n = 1197, 69.7±7.1 years). Blood pressure (BP), waist circumference (WC), and lipid and glucose levels were analyzed as individual factors or as clusters (either as the number of components present in an individual or as combinations of components). Outcomes included carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), atherosclerotic plaques, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses adjusted for confounding factors were used. The statistical significance adopted was 5%.

Results: Individuals with high BP, elevated WC, dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia (6.1% of the sample) showed higher IMT and CRP than those negatives for all MetS components. Elevated WC was a common determinant of systemic inflammation, while the coexistence of high BP and elevated WC (clusters of two or three factors) was associated with higher IMT (β between +3.2 and +6.1 x 10-2 mm; p value < 0.05) and CRP (EXPβ between 2.18 and 2.77; p value < 0.05).

Conclusion: The coexistence of high BP and elevated WC was associated with increased IMT and CRP levels, but central obesity affected systemic inflammation either alone or in combination with other risk factors.