The discriminative ability of the triglyceride-glucose index to identify metabolic syndrome among adults of the northern Sri Lankan population.

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) is a simple surrogate marker for Insulin Resistance (IR). However, the relationship between the TyG index and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) remains unknown in the Northern Sri Lankan population. METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of adults aged between 18 and 65 years living in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. This study aimed to verify the discriminative ability of the TyG index to identify MetS using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF-2006) criteria and to determine the gender-specific TyG index cut-off values for better prediction of MetS in Northern Sri Lankan adults. TyG index was calculated as Ln[Triglycerides (TG) (mg/dl) × Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (mg/dl)/2]. RESULTS: A total of 540 individuals were included in this study, with a mean age of 42.18 (± 13.89) years for males and 43.80 (± 12.56) years for females. The mean value of the TyG index in the total study population was 8.54 (± 0.53). Individuals in the higher quartiles of the TyG index had a significantly increased risk of MetS compared with those in the lowest quartile (p < 0.01). TyG index showed a stronger association with MetS than the FPG and all the conventional lipid components and the unadjusted odds ratio was 5.47. The area under the curve (AUC) of ROC revealed values of 0.914 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.884, 0.944) for females, 0.881 (95% CI: 0.830, 0.932) for males and 0.897 (95% CI: 0.870, 0.924) for the total study population. TyG index had a stronger discriminative ability to identify MetS as per IDF criteria in the study population with a cut-off value of 8.60. The mean level of the TyG index significantly increased with the increasing number of MetS components. CONCLUSIONS: The mean value of the TyG index increased as the number of MetS components in the study population increased. Individuals with a higher TyG index had a significantly increased risk of having MetS compared with the lowest quartile of the TyG index. TyG index had a good discriminative ability to diagnose MetS as per IDF criteria among the northern Sri Lankan population.

Factors influencing the iodine status of children aged 12 to 59 months from Jaffna District, Sri Lanka in the post-iodization era; a descriptive, cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Iodine status, including Iodine Deficiency (ID) of the children aged 12-59 months of Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, have never been studied. This study thus aimed to assess ID among children aged 12-59 months by monitoring the Urinary Iodine Concentrations (UIC), the prevalence of goitre, and the factors causing ID. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 846 children aged 12-59 months in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. Sociodemographic characteristics and other factors were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Dietary pattern of children was obtained using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. We performed urinary iodine estimation and physical examinations to detect the goitre, according to the World Health Organization criteria. A multivariate logistic linear regression model was used to identify the factors that causing ID. RESULT: The median UIC was 146.4 µg/L (interquartile range = 112.6-185.3 µg/L). Based on the UIC (<100 µg/L), 17.8% had ID, of which 15.7% and 2.1% had mild and moderate ID. The mean consumption of iodine from food was 128.7 (±20.2) µg/day. Gender variation had no influence on ID (p>0.05). Median UIC was significantly associated with living area, wealth status, type of drinking water, and method of iodized salt usage. A higher percentage of ID was significantly associated with younger age [AOR 2.32 (95% CI: 1.31-4.10)], urban area [AOR 1.94 (95% CI 1.27-2.96)], inland regions [AOR 3.20 (95% CI 1.85-5.55)], improper method of iodized salt usage [AOR 3.63 (95% CI: 1.38-9.56)], and low consumption of iodine-containing foods. The neck palpation revealed that only three children had goitre (0.4%). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that high ID among the children in Jaffna children was due to improper usage of iodized salt, even though the iodized salt is freely available in the region, living area, and age, while the prevalence of goitre was not significantly identified as a public health problem.

Metabolic syndrome among Jaffna Tamil community, Sri Lanka.

AIM: The prevalence and associated risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS) among adults over 18 years old in Jaffna district. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was community-based cross-sectional descriptive study. Multistage stratified cluster sampling technique was employed. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain the relevant information. Waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) measurements were recorded. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triacylglycerols were analyzed by the enzymatic colorimetric assay using semi-automated analyzer (Teco Diagnostics TC-3300). International Diabetic Federation guideline for Asians was used to identify MS. RESULTS: Sample response rate was 95.3% and of them, 43.8% (n = 224) was male. The prevalence of central obesity (WC for male ≥90 cm, female ≥80 cm) was 23.9%. Raised FPG (≥100 mg/dL, or previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus), hypertriacylglycerolemia (≥150 mg/dl), low level of HDL cholesterol (<40 mg/dL in males, <50 mg/dL in females), and raised BP (systolic BP ≥130 or diastolic BP ≥85 mmHg or previously diagnosed hypertension) were found in 23.9%, 25%, 79.3%, and 36.6% of the participants. The prevalence of MS was 15.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.8-19.3) and it was 17.4% in males and 14.6% in females. Participants living in the urban area had a higher prevalence of MS when compared with participants in a rural area (P = 0.015). Older age (P < 0.001) was a risk factor for development of MS. Smoking (P = 0.005) was a risk factor for the development of MS. Participants having sedentary, moderately active, and highly active lifestyle had the prevalence of MS 20.6% (95% CI: 13.2-29.7), 14.7% (95% CI: 10.6-19.5), and 14.7% (95% CI: 9.3-21.6), respectively (P = 0.247). CONCLUSION: Older age, urban living, and smoking carry a higher risk for development of MS among Jaffna Tamil community.