Central African Journal of Public Health 2022; 8(2): 28-32 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/cajph doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220802.12 ISSN: 2575-5773 (Print); ISSN: 2575-5781 (Online) Metabolic Syndrome and Oxidative Stress Among Patients of Type 2 Diabetes in an African Community Ezra Agbo 1, 2 , Victor Ogugua 3 , Innocent Okagu 3 , Collins Amadi 4, 5, * , Aloysius Aleke 6 1 Department of Chemical Pathology, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Nigeria 2 Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria 3 Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria 4 Department of Chemical Pathology, Rivers State University/Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria 5 Department of Chemical Pathology, PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Nigeria 6 Everight Diagnostics and Laboratory Services Limited, Abuja, Nigeria Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Ezra Agbo, Victor Ogugua, Innocent Okagu, Collins Amadi, Aloysius Aleke. Metabolic Syndrome and Oxidative Stress Among Patients of Type 2 Diabetes in an African Community. Central African Journal of Public Health. Vol. 8, No. 2, 2022, pp. 28-32. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220802.12 Received: February 14, 2022; Accepted: March 4, 2022; Published: March 11, 2022 Abstract: Background: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress among type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in Enugu metropolis. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and forty participants aged 40-80 years attending Diabetic Clinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Nigeria with their age and gender-marched healthy individuals were recruited as subjects and controls respectively, and evaluated for metabolic syndrome using the National Cholesterol Education Programme-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Oxidative stress markers were assayed spectrophotometrically. Results: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was found to be 56% among type 2 DM patients (55% for males and 58% for females), and 15% among apparently healthy individuals. Besides raised fasting blood glucose in the subjects, the second abnormal parameter was raised blood pressure (86%), followed by low high-density lipoproteins (45%), central obesity (33%), and raised fasting triglycerides (17%) in that particular order. Furthermore, oxidative stress markers were found to have changed significantly in subjects when compared to controls: Malondialdehyde values and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly higher while ascorbic acid values were significantly lower. Conclusion: It can be concluded from this study that metabolic syndrome and disturbances of reduction-oxidation homeostasis are common among type 2 DM patients. Keywords: Metabolic Syndrome, Oxidative Stress, Type 2 Diabetes 1. Introduction Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of some medical disorders, which has type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) as one of its risk factors. It is a cluster comprising hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and central obesity [1, 2]. The syndrome is a medical condition with many hypotheses in attempting to explain its pathophysiology. However the most acceptable and unifying of them all is the insulin resistance hypothesis, which states that an incompletely understood defect in insulin action is the underlying pathology in the condition [1, 3] The insulin resistance is preceded by postprandial hyperinsulinaemia, followed by hyperinsulinaemia and eventually hyperglycaemia [3]. Consequently, there is a postulation of a strong association between metabolic syndrome and type 2 DM. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, refers to a shift towards the pro-oxidant/antioxidant imbalance that can occur as a result of an increase in oxidative metabolism. In oxidative stress, there is generation of highly reactive unstable molecules and atoms that deplete the antioxidant level of the body. So simply put oxidative stress results when pro-oxidants exceed antioxidants in the body [4]. Type 2 DM is characterized by impaired insulin secretion, insulin resistance, excessive hepatic glucose production, and