Metabolic syndrome severity score (MetSSS) associates with metabolic health status in multi-ethnic Aotearoa New Zealand cohorts.

AIM: To investigate the relationship of metabolic syndrome severity score (MetSSS) with glucose regulatory and cardiovascular disease (CVD) status in Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: MetSSS and MetSSS component coefficients were calculated for participants from the cross-sectional Workforce Diabetes Study (WDS) (n = 5,806) and Diabetes, Heart and Health Survey (DHAH) (n = 4,010) and compared by ethnicity (European, Maori, Pacific and Asian), glucose regulatory status [impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes) and history of cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: MetSSS positively associated with impaired glucose regulatory status and history of cardiovascular disease for all ethnic groups. Ethnicity significantly affected different coefficients of the MetSSS components, however all ethnicities had an approximately normal MetSSS distribution, with Maori and Pacific curves being right-shifted compared to European. While the MetSSS thresholds that capture 80% of participant with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were higher for Maori and Pacific, the difference in MetSSS between those participants with and without type 2 diabetes within an ethnicity group was similar across ethnicities. CONCLUSION: MetSSS may have utility as a tool to quantify an individual's cardiometabolic disease risk within the multi-ethnic population of Aotearoa New Zealand, however ethnic-specific categories for disease risk are likely to be required.