Racial/Ethnic differences in Metabolic Syndrome in high-income countries: a systematic review protocol

Abstract BackgroundMetabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of several known cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk factors, including hyperglycemia, obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension. While there is some evidence that MetS differ between some population subgroups (i.e., sex, race and ethnicity), not much is known about patterns of MetS among different racial/ethnic groups. The aim of this review is to systematically assess the literature on the prevalence of MetS between racial/ethnic groups, including migrant populations in high-income countries. MethodsThe preferred reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines will be followed and the following databases searched for relevant studies: MEDLINE, the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), the Science Citation Index (SCI), the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Library databases. A combination of keywords and subject headings will be used in each database to cover all aspects of racial and ethnic differences (i.e. race, ethnicity, minority populations) as well as metabolic syndrome. Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and ecological studies on MetS that meet the inclusion criteria will be synthesised using narrative synthesis, and the results will be presented using reported outcome statistics (i.e., incidence and prevalence). ConclusionThis is the first review that we are aware of to systematically synthesize and collate the available evidence on the frequency, incidence or prevalence of MetS between racial/ethnic groups, including migrant populations. The findings may guide policy formulation and at the same time highlight gaps in the literature that future research should address.