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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2008;28:629.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Brief Reviews

Metabolic Syndrome Pandemic

Scott M. Grundy

From the Center for Human Nutrition, Departments of Clinical Nutrition and Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Correspondence to Scott M. Grundy, Center for Human Nutrition, Departments of Clinical Nutrition and Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Y3.206, Dallas, TX 75390-9052. E-mail scott.grundy{at}utsouthwestern.edu

Series Editor: Marja-Riitta Taskinen
Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis
ATVB In Focus

Preview Brief Reviews in this Series:

•Barter PJ, Rye KA. Is There a Role For Fibrates in the Management of Dyslipidemia in the Metabolic Syndrome. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:39–46.
•Gustafson B, Hammarstedt A, Andersson CX, and Smith U. Inflamed adipose tissue: a culprit underlying the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Arteroscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2007;27:2276–2283.
•Kotronen A, Yki-Järvinen. Fatty liver: a novel component of the metabolic syndrome. Arteroscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:27–38.

The metabolic syndrome is a multiplex risk factor that consists of several risk correlates of metabolic origin. In addition, to dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycermia, the syndrome carries a prothrombotic state and a proinflammatory state. Persons with the metabolic syndrome are at essentially twice the risk for cardiovascular disease compared with those without the syndrome. It further raises the risk for type 2 diabetes by about 5-fold. Although some investigators favor keeping risk factors separate for purposes of clinical management, others believe that identifying individuals with an aggregation of risk factors provides additional useful information to guide clinical management. In particular it focuses attention on obesity and sedentary life habits that are the root of the syndrome. This review addresses the prevalence of this clustering phenomenon throughout the world. Such seems appropriate because of the increasing prevalence of obesity in almost all countries. The available evidence indicates that in most countries between 20% and 30% of the adult population can be characterized as having the metabolic syndrome. In some populations or segments of the population, the prevalence is even higher. On the other hand, in parts of developing world in which young adults predominate, the prevalence is lower; but with increasing affluence and aging of the population, the prevalence undoubtedly with rise.

The metabolic syndrome represents a clustering of metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The available evidence indicates that in most countries between 20% and 30% of the adult population has the metabolic syndrome. Because of this relatively high prevalence, the metabolic syndrome accounts for an increasing proportion of cardiovascular risk worldwide.

Key Words: obesity • hypertension • diabetes • lipids • acute coronary syndrome