Metabolic syndrome in survivors from the 2009 earthquake in Italy

Increased incidence of metabolic syndrome among older survivors relocated to temporary housing after the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake & tsunami

Background

Beyond the immediate toll of injuries and deaths, major disasters are often associated with long-term increased risks of chronic disease. We sought to investigate the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Methods

Subjects aged ≥18 years from the tsunami-stricken area participated in a prospective cohort study of disaster survivors (the RIAS Study) from 2011 to 2015. After excluding subjects who were previously diagnosed with MetS, we observed the cumulative incidence of MetS across four annual examinations among 7318 subjects (mean age, 59.8 years; 43.5% men). We defined MetS using the International Diabetes Foundation criteria.

Results

The 4-year cumulative incidence of MetS was 18.0% in the overall sample. The incidence was significantly higher among older women survivors relocated to prefabricated temporary housing (40.9%, 95% confidence interval, 36.4-44.6), and other types of housing (36.2%, 95% CI: 32.3-40.6) compared to those who were not relocated (34.1%, 95% CI: 30.9-37.4). An increase in incidence of MetS was not observed for older men, or younger survivors aged ≤64 years.

Conclusion

Relocation to prefabricated temporary housing was a risk factor for increased incidence of MetS in older women.

Stressful life events and incident metabolic syndrome: the Hoorn study

Stressful life events are associated with the metabolic syndrome in cross-sectional studies, but prospective studies addressing this issue are rare and limited. We therefore evaluated whether the number of stressful life events is associated with incident metabolic syndrome. We assessed the association between the number of stressful life events experienced in the 5 years up until baseline and incident metabolic syndrome after 6.5 years at follow-up in the Hoorn study, a middle-aged and elderly population-based cohort. Participants with prevalent metabolic syndrome at baseline were excluded. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III, including fasting plasma glucose levels, HDL-C levels, triglyceride levels, waist circumference and hypertension. We included 1099 participants (47% male; age 60 ± 7 years). During 6.5 years of follow-up, 238 participants (22%) developed the metabolic syndrome. Logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, education level and follow-up duration showed a positive association between the number of stressful life events at baseline and incident metabolic syndrome [OR 1.13 (1.01-1.27) per event, p = 0.049]. In addition, a Poisson model showed a significant positive association between the number of stressful life events at baseline and the number of metabolic syndrome factors at follow-up [OR 1.05 (1.01-1.11) per event, p = 0.018]. Finally, we observed a significant association between the number of stressful life events at baseline and waist circumference at follow-up [adjusted for confounders β 0.86 (0.39-1.34) cm per event, p < 0.001]. Overall, we concluded that persons who reported more stressful life events at baseline had a significantly increased risk for developing metabolic syndrome during 6.5 years of follow-up, in a middle-aged and elderly population-based cohort.