Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients and its significance for chronic vascular complications

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in type 2 diabetes and its association with vascular complications were studied in 637 Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. MetS was diagnosed using criteria proposed by the Japanese study group for the definition of MetS in 2005. The prevalence of MetS in patients studied was higher in males (45.9%) than females (28.0%). The prevalence of MetS was 53.0% in males and 35.4% in females in patients with duration of less than 10 years, and decreased with an increase in duration. Upon comparing patients groups complicated with and without MetS, we determined the MetS group had significantly higher levels of fasting serum C-peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and a significantly lower level of serum adiponectin. However, the prevalence of coronary heart disease, brain infarction, or peripheral arterial disease was not significantly different between these groups. On the other hand, the prevalence of microangiopathy in the group with MetS was significantly higher than in that without MetS, and became significantly higher along with an increase in duration. This study clarifies the prevalence of MetS in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients, and suggests that MetS is associated with microangiopathy rather than macroangiopathy in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.