Asian Ethnicity and the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in the Osteoarthritic Total Knee Arthroplasty Population

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a known risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis (OA). We asked whether the prevalence of MS varies across ethnicity among patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty for end-stage OA. In our population of 1460 patients undergoing primary knee arthroplasty, MS was defined as body mass index greater than 30 kg/m(2), diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Among the 1334 white patients, 114 (8.5%) had MS as compared with 3 of 36 (8.3%) blacks and 18 of 90 (20%) Asians (P=.006) Adjusted analysis showed that those of Asian ethnicity had a 2.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.8; P=.03) times greater odds of MS as compared with those of other ethnicity. Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for OA, and Asians demonstrate a greater prevalence of MS as compared with whites and blacks in this population.