The Relationship Between Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) - A Matter of Gender?

ADELA VIVIANA SITAR TAUT1,2,#, OLGA ORASAN1,2,#, ADRIANA FODOR1,3#, ANCA DANIELA FARCAS1,4*, SIMINA TARMURE SARLEA1,2, GABRIELA DOGARU1,5, DUMITRU TUDOR ZDRENGHEA1,6, DANA POP1,6, ANGELA COZMA 1,2,#

Were investigated the relationship between gender, cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation in metabolicsyndrome (MetS) patients. 100 consecutive patients (75 women), 73 with MetS, mean age 57.52±9.77years, were examined. Adhesion molecules (sICAM1, sVCAM1) were measured in the stored serum samplescollected using the ELISA method. The classification of MetS was based on IDF guidelines. The study wascarried out at the Department of Cardiology, Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. MetSpatients presented lower sICAM1 values (225.01±86.75 ng/mL vs 234.22±82.23 ng/mL, p=NS), but highersVCAM1 values (605.34±298.69 ng/mL vs 552.29±233.77 ng/mL, p=NS). Differences between patientswith vs without metabolic syndrome were found only in men for sICAM1 (194.73±37.92 ng/mL vs 282±27.15ng/mL, p<0.001). Considering the HOMA index, a significant difference for sICAM1 was found in men(patients within the upper quartile vs the lower quartile, p=0.002), but also between women and menwithin the upper quartile of HOMA (for sICAM1 p=0.038). No significant differences were found for sVCAM1.In the case of males, sICAM1 was an independent predictor of metabolic syndrome, with a very goodcapacity to identify metabolic syndrome (AUROC=0.987, p=0.0001, Se=89.47%, Sp=100%). In conclusion,just in men, sICAM1 seems to have an excellent capacity to differentiate between MetS+ and MetS- patients,to predict MetS development.