This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk associated with the metabolic syndrome according to the NCEP and revised NCEP (rNCEP) clinical criteria in the general population. Through this systematic review, 87 studies were identified and included 951,083 patients (NCEP: 63 studies; 497,651 patients; rNCEP: 33 studies; 453,432 patients). Overall, the metabolic syndrome was associated with a 2-fold increase in risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke and a 1.5-fold increase in risk of all-cause mortality. The authors found that the point estimates for cardiovascular risk were consistently higher in women compared with men. Moreover, the metabolic syndrome maintained its prognostic value for cardiovascular outcomes in the absence of type 2 diabetes. Results also confirmed that there was little variation in cardiovascular risk between the NCEP and the rNCEP clinical criteria. Thus, the authors recommended the use of metabolic syndrome as a diagnostic tool for identifying patients who are at risk of CVD. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk associated with the metabolic syndrome after its individual components have been taken into account.
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