Frequency of Metabolic Syndrome in Adrenal Incidentalomas

INTRODUCTION: Adrenal incidentalomas (AI) are adrenal tumors discovered incidentally during imaging. While the metabolic effects of high cortisol levels are well-documented, the association between AI and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains underexplored. This study investigates the frequency of MetS in patients with AI and compares it to a healthy control group.
METHODS: This cross-sectional, single-center study was conducted from January 2018 to January 2019 and involved 50 patients with AI and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We compared waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and MetS prevalence between groups.
RESULTS: Patients with AI had significantly higher waist circumference (p=0.001), FPG levels (p=0.007), and both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure values (p=0.001; p=0.006, respectively) compared to controls. Similarly, patients with non-functioning adrenal adenomas (NFA) also exhibited increased waist circumference (p=0.002), FPG levels (p=0.005), SBP (p=0.001), and DBP (p=0.017) compared to the control group. The frequency of MetS was significantly higher in both the AI (p=0.039) and NFA (p=0.023) groups compared to controls.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study found a higher prevalence of MetS among patients with AI and NFA, as well as increased waist circumference, FPG levels, and blood pressure in these groups. These findings suggest that patients with AI should be regularly screened for MetS and cardiovascular diseases to manage and reduce long-term health risks.