MS cases (n = 382) Non-MS cases (n = 4284) n (%) 328 (13.99) 54 (2.33) Mean (SD) 30.17(5.36) 22.97(3.75) 19.39 (8.39) 22.29 (18.05) 0.99 (0.33) 5.63 (1.45) 7.13 (1.87) 14.00 (1.52) n (%) 2016 (86.01) 2268 (97.67) Prevalence of metabolic syndrome Tsai TY et al. p-value ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 ,0.01 CLINICS 2011;66(9):1531-1535 Table 1 - Characteristics of study participants. Variables Gender Male Female Age BMI Liver Enzymes AST (IU/L) ALT (IU/L) Creatinine (mg/dl) UA (mg/dl) WBC (103 cells/ml) Hemoglobin (g/dl) Mean (SD) 33.52 (5.76) 28.50 (3.68) 29.84 (20.04) 49.99 (34.89) 1.12 (0.17) 7.10 (1.48) 7.93 (1.95) 15.05 (1.40) 14% (95% CI = 1.0321.27) and 12% (95% CI = 1.0421.19), respectively, in the risk of being diagnosed with MS (Table 3). DISCUSSION The overall MS prevalence was 8.2% (14.0% in men and 2.3% in women). Because the average age of the subjects, who ranged in age from 31 to 40 years, was younger than in most other epidemiological studies, it is difficult to directly compare our results with MS prevalence reported else- where. However, as compared to the prevalence in similarly aged men and women (10.1%225.8% and 2.1%219.7%, respectively20-22), the MS prevalence among high-tech industry workers was lower than in the general population. This difference may be attributed to the healthy worker effect: these workers not only must demonstrate a better- than-average health status to qualify for work but also are screened by health examinations before being allowed to enter the high-tech industry. We found that the most common manifestations of MS in both men and women were high waist circumference followed by high blood pressure and hypertriglyceridemia. However, Pan23 found that blood pressure, triglyceride, and HDL-C disorders were the most common metabolic abnormalities among male and female adults in Taiwan. Another study of 1,562 Taiwanese teenagers indicated that triglycerides, HDL-C, and waist circumference were the most common abnormal indicators in male adolescents, as compared to HDL-C, blood pressure, and waist circumfer- ence in female adolescents.24 Findings based on the same ethnic group, therefore, may vary due to age discrepancies with respect to the leading types of metabolic abnormalities (one third of Pan’s subjects were aged 45 years or above). Despite several studies showing a significant correlation Table 2 - Sex-specific prevalence of individual metabolic abnormalities among MS cases. Metabolic abnormality High triglycerides High fasting glucose Abdominal obesity Low HDL–C High blood pressure Male (n = 328) Female (n = 54) % 73.17 49.09 82.01 39.63 81.40 95% CI 68.37–77.97 43.68–54.50 77.85–86.17 34.34–44.92 77.17–85.61 % 64.81 55.56 98.15 0 88.89 95% CI 52.07–77.55 42.31–68.81 94.56–101.74 0 80.51–97.27 between age and predisposition for MS,21-22 further research is needed to elucidate whether the leading metabolic abnormalities vary with age. Men were at a 3.47-fold greater risk of MS than women, which is in line with previous studies.22 Two reasons may account for this phenomenon. First, men are less aware of self-care than women. For instance, not only do fewer women smoke and drink, but they are more prone to seek medical counsel or an examination in the event of physical discomfort. Thus, the risks for chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, are usually lower in women than in men.25 Second, this study was mostly conducted on younger subjects, and younger women may benefit from higher estrogen levels, which decrease serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and curb coronary throm- bosis and atherosclerosis by regulating vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells. Our findings also show that age was positively correlated with the risk of MS, which is in line with previous studies.20-21 It can be inferred that, with age, blood vessels gradually lose elasticity and gain resistance, slowing blood flow. Moreover, with poor circulation, fat is prone to accumulate in the abdomen and release free fatty acids into the serum, leading to higher insulin resistance, elevated serum triglyceride levels, increased small dense LDL-C levels, and, consequently, a greater risk of MS.26 This study also showed that a higher BMI was associated with a greater AOR for developing MS, which confirms a previous report.21 BMI can be used to assess body Table 3 - Factors associated with MS according to multiple logistic regression analysis. Crude OR (95% CI) Adjusted OR (95% CI) 6.83 (5.09–9.12) 1 1.11 (1.08–1.12) 1.04 (1.03–1.04) 1.06 (1.05–1.07) 1.36 (1.32–1.39) 4.62 (2.83–7.58) 1.87 (1.74–2.01) 1.21 (1.16–1.27) 1.71 (1.57–1.86) 3.94 (2.29–6.78)** 1 1.06 (1.04–1.09)** 1.02 (1.01–1.02)* 1.00 (0.96–1.01) 1.30 (1.26–1.35)** 0.73 (0.30–1.76) 1.14 (1.03–1.27)** 1.12 (1.04–1.19)** 1.00 (0.88–1.13) 1533 Variables Gender Male Female Age BMI Liver enzymes AST (IU/L) ALT (IU/L) Creatinine (mg/dl) UA (mg/dl) WBC (103 cells/ml) Hemoglobin (g/dl) *p,0.05; **p,0.01.