Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of medical conditions that increase cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to describe metabolic syndrome abnormalities and to identify associated risk factors among newly diagnosed diabetic patients in two tertiary hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methodology: This study constitutes an independent exploratory epidemiological analysis conducted in 60 patients aged 18 to 65 years, consecutively recruited, newly diagnosed with diabetes, presenting metabolic syndrome (MetS), and enrolled in the internal medicine departments of two sub-Saharan African hospitals as part of a broader research program: the Souro Sanou University Hospital Center (CHUSS) in Burkina Faso and the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (CHUY) in Cameroon. Anthropometric, physiological, and biochemical parameters were measured in the fasting state, in accordance with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 2009 consensus definition of metabolic syndrome.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 46.3 ± 9.6 years (median 46.5) with 53.3% women. Most participants were married (88.3%), employed (81.7%) and 48.3% had a university degree. Finally, 85% reported practicing physical activity. Advanced age and female gender increased the risk of having more than 5 MetS anomalies (OR = 1.10, p = 0.006). Pupils and students were mostly in the group with fewer than 6 anomalies (OR = 0.13, p = 0.092). A history of obesity (OR = 3.00, p = 0.071), hypertension (OR = 3.06, p = 0.057), tended to increase this risk without statistical significance. All participants had hyperglycemia, 80% had hypertension, 46.7% had hypertriglyceridemia and 70% had hypo-HDL cholesterolemia. Abdominal obesity affected 18.3%, elevated CRP 26.7%, and 90% had normal albumin levels.

Conclusion: Female gender, age, and obesity history tended to increase the risk, without statistical significance (OR = 3.00, p = 0.071). MetS was distributed differently among these diabetic patients, with hypertension being the second most common abnormality.