By Agbo, Ezra Ogbonnaya
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in Enugu city, Enugu State of Nigeria and to correlate it with oxidative stress makers such as malondialdhyde, ascorbic acid and superoxide dismutase. One hundred and twenty (120) patients aged 40-80 years of Diabetic Clinic Unit of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku-Ozalla Enugu and eighty (80) apparently healthy age and sex-marched individuals were recruited as test and control subjects respectively. Metabolic syndrome was evaluated using the National Cholesterol Education Programme-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria in all the subjects. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was found to be 57% among the type 2 diabetics (55% for male diabetics and 58% for female diabetics). Beside raised fasting blood glucose in the diabetics, the second abnormal parameter was raised blood pressure (86%), followed by low high-density lipoproteins (45%), central obesity (33%) and raised fasting triacylglycerol (17%). Furthermore, oxidative stress markers were found to have changed significantly in the test subjects when compared to control subjects. Malondialdehyde concentration and superoxide dismutase activity were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher coupled with significantly (p < 0.05) lower ascorbic acid concentration of type 2 diabetics (test subjects) when compared to that of control subjects. This shows that metabolic syndrome and DM are associated with disturbances of reduction-oxidation homeostasis.