{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T21:35:17Z","timestamp":1791408917960,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":94,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776211200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000061","name":"Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R21TW012376"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21TW012376"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000061","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R21TW012376"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21TW012376"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000061","name":"Pineapple Healthcare, Inc.","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R21TW012376"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R21TW012376"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000061","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medical Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background. Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) have become a major health concern among adults living with HIV (ALWH) as antiretroviral therapy (ART) extends life expectancy. Metabolic syndrome (MetS)\u2014a cluster of abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypoalphalipoproteinemia\u2014is a key predictor of CMD risk. Despite high HIV prevalence in Panama, data on MetS among ALWH are scarce. Thus, the Col\u00f3n C3 Study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MetS and its criteria in a large cohort of ALWH in Col\u00f3n, Panama. Methods. Between April\u2013December 2024, 659 ALWH aged \u226518 years were enrolled at the province\u2019s sole ART Clinic (78.1% of active patients). Participants completed a computer-assisted survey on demographics and social determinants of health (SDoH), underwent anthropometry and body composition assessment, and provided \u22658 h fasting blood samples for glucose, lipid profiles, HbA1c, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). MetS was defined using NCEP-R ATP-III criteria, and analyses were stratified by sex. Results. Mean age was 43.9 (range 18\u201379) years; 55% were female, and 51% identified as Black\/Afro-Caribbean. The overall prevalence of MetS was 38.6% (binomial 95% CI 34.5%, 42.9%), exceeding pooled estimates for ALWH in the Americas (30.4%). Among individual criteria, hypoalphalipoproteinemia (59.6%) and hypertension (52.6%) were most prevalent, followed by abdominal obesity (45.2%), hyperglycemia (33.5%), and hypertriglyceridemia (22.5%). Women exhibited significantly higher body fat mass and BMI than men. Mean hsCRP was 7.2 mg\/L, indicating persistent inflammation despite virologic suppression. Socioeconomic vulnerabilities, food insecurity (30%), and housing instability (&gt;40%) were common. Conclusions. Findings reveal a substantial cardiometabolic burden among ALWH in Col\u00f3n and underscore the need for integrated HIV\u2013CMD care models, earlier screening, and natal sex\u2013responsive interventions. The results provide foundational evidence for improving long-term, equitable cardiometabolic outcomes in HIV care across Panama and the broader Latin American region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medsci14020200","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T14:02:33Z","timestamp":1776261753000},"page":"200","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Cardiometabolic Status of Adults Living with HIV in Panama\u2014Baseline Results of the Col\u00f3n C3 Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4604-0887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Humberto","family":"L\u00f3pez Castillo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, College of Health Professions and Sciences, Academic Health Sciences Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA"},{"name":"Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Academic Health Sciences Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32827, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lorna E.","family":"Jenkins S.","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Jenkins-Lara Consulting, LLC, Panama City, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V\u00edctor Israel","family":"Pe\u00f1afiel Medina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HIV and STI Program, Ministry of Health, Col\u00f3n City, Panama"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1007\/s11906-018-0812-z","article-title":"The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic Syndrome","volume":"20","author":"Saklayen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Curr. 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