The impact of the metabolic syndrome on the patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND

The subjects with metabolic syndrome are an increased risk for the development of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease as well as an increased mortality for cardiovascular disease in all causes. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome after acute coronary syndrome has not been studied yet. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and to evaluate its cardiovascular risk potential using the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria.

METHODS

We performed a cross sectional study in 256 patients with acute coronary syndrome. The definition of the metabolic syndrome was based on NCEP-ATP III criteria. The cardiovascular risk factors that define the metabolic syndrome and their correlation with the cardiovascular risk were evaluated by descriptive and interferential statistical methods.

RESULTS

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 47.26%, as assessed by criteria of the NCEP-ATP III. The presence of the metabolic syndrome has been positively correlated with the cardiovascular risk (OR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.54, p=0.047). The cardiovascular risk has significantly correlated with the increasing of the components number that defines the metabolic syndrome. Among the components of the metabolic syndrome, HDL-Cholesterol was the most significantly correlated with the cardiovascular risk in the patients with acute coronary syndrome (OR 3.60; 95% CI 2.14-5.06; p=0.002).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria was high, and positively correlated with the cardiovascular risk in the patients with acute coronary syndrome. The cardiovascular risk rises proportionally with the number of metabolic components.