Metabolic Syndrome Mortality Risk Linked to Income Gap: Low-Income Men Face 35% Higher Risk

A research study has shown a clear income-based gap in the mortality risk of patients with metabolic syndrome.

Even when suffering from the same metabolic syndrome, low-income men face a 35% higher risk of death compared to high-income men.

A research team led by Professor Kang Hee-taek of the Department of Family Medicine at Severance Hospital tracked 83,786 adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome between 2009 and 2010 for about 10 years, using National Health Insurance Service health screening cohort data, to confirm these findings.

Metabolic syndrome refers to a condition where an individual has three or more out of five risk factors: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, elevated triglycerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol, which is known as "good cholesterol."

The research team divided the participants into three groups based on their National Health Insurance premiums and analyzed the correlation between their economic status and mortality risk.

The results showed that the lower the economic status, the higher the risk of death.

After adjusting for factors that could influence the results, such as age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, and physical activity, the mortality risk for low-income men was 1.35 times that of high-income men.

For middle-income men, the mortality risk was also 1.23 times higher compared to high-income men.

The trend was similar for women.

The mortality risk for low-income women was 1.25 times that of high-income women, while for middle-income women, it was 1.17 times.

The research team explained that the study is significant in confirming that survival rates vary according to economic status even among people who already have metabolic syndrome.

They suggested that limited access to regular follow-ups and medical services due to low economic status, difficulties in improving lifestyle habits or adhering to medication, and exposure to social stress may have contributed to the increased mortality risk.

The research results were published in the Korean Journal of Family Medicine (KJFM), an English-language academic journal published by the Korean Academy of Family Medicine.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.