The metabolic syndrome predicts cardiovascular events in subjects with normal fasting glucose: results of a 15 years follow-up in a Mediterranean population.

Description

In this study, the metabolic syndrome’s ability to predict the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a Mediterranean population was studied over a 15 year follow-up in 687 men and women. The authors first found that the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III clinical criteria) was significantly different between males (12.4%) and females (31.5%). Further analyses revealed that the metabolic syndrome was associated with a two-fold increase in cardiovascular events [HR=1.9 (95% IC, 1.46-2.46)]. In addition, metabolic syndrome patients with normal or impaired fasting glucose (IFG)/diabetes mellitus (DM) were less likely to remain free of cardiovascular events when compared to normal subjects, even after adjusting for age and gender. In the same model, the two metabolic syndrome groups, with or without IFG/DM, were not significantly different from one another in predicting CVD incidence. In conclusion, Noto et al. found that the metabolic syndrome increased CVD risk, regardless of glucose tolerance status.