ANEMIA AND ITS PATTERN IN PATIENTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of anemia and its pattern in patients with metabolic syndrome present at Liaquat university hospital Hyderabad.

METHODS: A three-month cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, including 129 patients aged 30-60 years with a known diagnosis of metabolic syndrome for ≥6 months. Demographic data, comorbidities, and clinical characteristics were collected. Hemoglobin levels were measured, and anemia was classified as microcytic, normocytic, or macrocytic. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Mean ± SD or median (IQR) was calculated for quantitative variables. Categorical variables were presented as frequency and percentages. Stratification and post-stratification Chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests were applied to assess associations with anemia, with p ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: The mean age was 48.6 ± 7.4 years, with a predominantly female population (61.2%). Overall anemia prevalence was 42.6%. Normocytic anemia was most frequent (56.4%), followed by microcytic (34.5%) and macrocytic (9.1%) patterns. Anemia was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.032), obesity (p=0.041), hypercholesterolemia (p=0.047), raised CRP (p=0.011), and NAFLD (p=0.029). No significant associations were observed with age, residence, marital status, occupation, smoking, or raised LDL-cholesterol.

CONCLUSION: Anemia is highly prevalent among patients with metabolic syndrome, particularly women and individuals with obesity or inflammatory markers. Routine screening and management of anemia should be integrated into metabolic syndrome care to improve clinical outcomes.