Association of Monocytes to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio With Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components

Abstract Background To investigate the association of monocytes to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) with metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components. Methods A cross-sectional clinical study was conducted from February 2018 to January 2019 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. A total of 890 inpatients or outpatients aged 30–79 years old were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected. MS and its components were defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NECP-ATPIII) diagnostic criteria. Spearman correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the association of MHR with MS and its components. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of MHR for MS. Results The monocyte counts and MHR were significantly higher in subjects with MS than those without MS (P < 0.001). The percentage of subjects carrying 3 or more MS components increased with the increment of MHR tertiles (13.7%, 32.7%, and 44.6%, P < 0.001). MHR was correlated with multiple metabolic components, including body mass index, waist circumstance, visceral fat content, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and systolic blood pressure (all P < 0.001). Logistic regression analyses showed that MHR was independently associated with MS after adjusting for age, gender, multiple metabolic components, and the use of antihypertensive and antihyperglycemic medications. Compared with the lowest tertile of MHR, the risk of MS increased by 2.386 and 3.233 times in moderate (P = 0.010) and highest (P = 0.001) tertiles, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated that the best cutoff value of MHR was 6.59 × 105/mg for the diagnosis of MS, with a sensitivity of 75.2% and a specificity of 52.7%. Conclusions Elevated MHR is associated with an increased risk of MS and the accumulation of its components.