Abstract:
Abstract
Background: Metabolic syndrome poses a considerable risk to the health of both mother and
child and become a significant public health concern, particularly in developing nations.
However, there is still a lack of epidemiological data on metabolic syndrome during pregnancy
in Ethiopia. So, conducting a research is vital for awareness creating and reduce maternal and
fetus adverse outcome.
Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of
metabolic syndrome in pregnant women at the University of Gondar Comprehensive
Specialized Hospital from March 14 to May 10, 2022.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design using a method of systematic random sampling was
carried out. Data related to socio-demographic, clinical, anthropometric, and lifestyle
characteristics were collected by face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire
adapted from World Health Organization steps survey tool for non-communicable diseases.
Five ml of fasting sample was collected from each participant. Beckman Coulter DXC 700 AU
clinical chemistry analyzer was used to analyze lipid profile and glucose. The data were entered
into Epi Data Version 3.1 and exported to SPSS Version 20 for analysis. Bivariable,
multivariable binary logistic regression was used. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered
statistically significant.
Results: Three hundred eighteen pregnant women were included in this study. Majority of
study participants were in the age of 20-34 years. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was
13.2% (95% CI:9.7, 17.0) based on the American Heart Association/National Heart Lung and
Blood Institute definition. The most prevalent components of metabolic syndrome were
elevated triglycerides (33.3%), reduced high-density lipoprotein (28.6%) and elevated blood
pressure (18.3%).Unhealthy sleep duration (AOR=5.6, 95% CI (2.4, 13.1) p = < 0.001), high
daily salt intake (AOR= 4.2, 95% CI (1.8, 9.5), p = 0.001), and alcohol consumption (AOR=
4.2, 95% CI (1.6, 10.9) p=0.003) were associated with metabolic syndrome.
Conclusion: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in pregnant mother was within a range of
national report of metabolic syndrome in obstetric population (3-42%). Elevated triglycerides,
reduced high density lipoprotein, and elevated blood pressure was the most prevalent
components of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is attributed to alcohol intake, high
dietary salt intake, and sleep disturbance. Therefore, dietary modification and having sufficient
sleep time in pregnant mothers is recommended.
Keywords: Dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, abdominal
obesity, pregnant women
