Gender differences in cardiometabolic profile in young adults: a 10- year prospective follow-up study

Objective: To perform a comparative assessment of the cardiometabolic profile in young male and female adults over a 10-year prospective follow-up period. Materials and methods: the prospective cohort study enrolled 251 young adults (18–44 years old): 124 males (median age 27 [21–36] years) and 127 females (median age 35 [26–41] years). The assessment included anthropometric parameters, cardiometabolic risk factors, lipid and carbohydrate profiles. Results: males were characterized by higher values of BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and a higher frequency of hyperuricemia (OR 4.15; p < 0.05), and the smoking rate increased by 19.8% in men and by 32.7% in women. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased, reaching statistical significance in women (from 28.3% to 47.2%; p=0.014), and cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus were registered for the first time (4.8% of men, 2.4% of women). A predictive model for the development of metabolic syndrome was developed, including sex, age, non-HDL cholesterol, leptin, and fibrinogen (AUC=0.911; 95% CI 0.854–0.951). The cut-off value of leptin > 29.1 ng/mL for females (AUC=0.875; sensitivity 78.4%, specificity 87.8%) and non-HDL cholesterol > 3.76 mmol/L for males (AUC=0.798) demonstrated high predictive value. Conclusion: significant gender differences in the cardiometabolic profile of young adults were identified. The developed predictive model with gender-specific cut-off values allows for the identification of a high-risk group for metabolic syndrome development, enabling early prevention strategies.

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