Background: Metabolic syndrome is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem. We investigated the association between metabolic syndrome and CKD in a rural Chinese population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Handan Eye Study. Results: 4944 of participants aged >= 30 y were included in this analysis. Participants with metabolic syndrome had a higher prevalence of CKD (20.9% vs. 15.8%, P<0.001) than those without. As the number of metabolic syndrome components increased, so did the prevalence of CKD (P<0.001). The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of chronic kidney disease in participants with metabolic syndrome was 1.293 (95% Cl 1.093-1.529) compared with those without. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, high blood pressure (OR 1.348; 95% CI 1.122-1.619) and high fasting glucose (OR 1.501; 95% CI 1.235-1.794) were independently associated with the risk for CKD. Compared with participants without any component, multivariate adjusted OR for CKD was 1.316 (95%CI 1.004-1.723), 1.397(95%CI 1.038-1.882), 1.672 (95%CI 1.183-2.363) for those with 2, 3, 4 or 5 components, respectively. Conclusion: In this rural Chinese population aged >= 30 y, metabolic syndrome was associated with CKD. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.