The risk of metabolic syndrome among institutionalized adults with intellectual disabilities.
Metabolic syndrome hides in one out of every nine institutionalized adults with ID—check lipids and blood pressure, especially in women.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team visited three large residential centers in Taiwan.
They checked the adults with intellectual disability for metabolic syndrome.
Staff measured waist, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar and lipids.
All residents had lived there at least six months.
What they found
One in nine people (11.6 %) met the full metabolic-syndrome criteria.
Women were twice as likely as men to have it.
High triglycerides and low good cholesterol (HDL) were the clearest red flags.
How this fits with other research
Reid et al. (1999) surveyed the same kind of large state homes.
They looked at why severe behavior happens, not medical risk.
Together the papers show we must track both behavior and health in these settings.
Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) warn that single checklists can mislead; the same caution applies here—one blood draw is only a snapshot.
Why it matters
You already take vital signs during behavior crisis follow-ups.
Add a quick lipid and glucose panel for any woman with ID you serve.
Flag results in your electronic record so the nurse can see trends.
A 30-second referral can prevent heart disease and cut later emergencies.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
People with metabolic syndrome (MS) are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke. However, there is little previous information on the prevalence and determinants of MS among people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of MS risk factors among institutionalized adults with IDs. We analyzed the annual health check data of 164 institutionalized adults with IDs whose age was >/= 20 years in 2009. The measure of MS in the study was the presence of three or more of the following five components: central obesity, elevated blood pressure (BP), elevated fasting glucose (FG), elevated triglycerides (TG), and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C). The prevalence of MS was 11.6% in the study participants (8% in males and 17.2% in females), which is lower than that in the general population of Taiwan. In the logistic regression analysis of the occurrence of MS, we found that gender, TG and HDL-C were variables that could significantly predict MS after controlling for other potential factors. Adults with IDs who were female (OR = 38.354, 95% CI = 1.985-741.029) and who had higher TG levels (OR = 1.043, 95% CI = 1.008-1.079) and reduced HDL-C levels (OR = 0.696, 95% CI = 0.549-0.883) had a statistically higher risk of MS. This study was one of the first to provide information on the prevalence of MS and its risk factors among institutionalized adults with IDs. We suggest that further study should focus on the specifics of MS, such as incidence, age-specific risk factors and further prevention or treatment in people with ID.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.09.005