Is the frequency of metabolic syndrome higher in South Korean women with rheumatoid arthritis than in healthy subjects?

Background/Aims: To compare the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and magnitude of insulin resistance, measured by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), between South Korean women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy subjects, and to evaluate risk factors for MetS and increased HOMA-IR in patients with RA. Methods: In a cross-sectional setting, 84 female patients with RA and 109 agematched healthy female subjects were consecutively recruited at a universityaffi liated rheumatology center in South Korea. MetS was defined according to the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program`s Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) 2004 criteria. Results: The frequency of MetS did not differ significantly between patients with RA (19%) and healthy subjects (15.6%, p = 0.566), although patients with RA had a higher HOMA-IR compared with healthy subjects (p < 0.001). Patients with RA met the NCEP-ATP III 2004 criteria for high blood pressure more often than healthy subjects (44% vs. 19.3%, p < 0.001), and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol was more prevalent in healthy subjects (33%) than in patients with RA (14.3%, p = 0.004). Although no obvious risk factors for the presence of MetS were identified in patients with RA, higher serum C-reactive protein and disease activity score assessed using the 28-joint count for swelling and tenderness-erythrocyte sedimentation rate significantly contributed to a higher HOMA-IR. Conclusions: Despite their increased insulin resistance, South Korean womenwith RA did not have a significantly higher frequency of MetS compared with that in healthy subjects.