title: Prevalence of coronary heart disease and carotid arterial thickening in patients with the metabolic syndrome (The ARIC Study).
abstract: We determined the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MS) with the criteria recommended by the National Cholesterol and Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III report and estimated the magnitude of cross-sectional associations between the MS, coronary heart disease (CHD), and atherosclerosis in 14,502 black and white middle-age patients in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. CHD was ascertained by standardized procedures and subclinical atherosclerosis was determined by measuring carotid intimal medial wall thickness using B-mode ultrasonography. The prevalence of MS was 30%, with substantial variation across race and gender subgroups. Among women but not among men, MS was significantly associated with increasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CHD prevalence was 7.4% among those with the MS compared with 3.6% in comparison subjects (p <0.0001). After adjustment for established risk factors, subjects who had MS were 2 times more likely to have prevalent CHD than were those who did not have the syndrome. Among individuals free of CHD and stroke, after adjustment for age, gender, and race/center, the average intimal-medial wall thickness of carotid arteries was greater among those with versus those without MS (747 vs 704 mum, p <0.0001). Thus, MS was significantly associated with the presence of CHD and carotid intimal medial wall thickness. Identification of patients who have MS may provide opportunities to initiate CHD prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27514, USA.
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.forename: Wayne D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Rosamond
authors.forename: Cynthia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Girman
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heiss
authors.forename: Sherita Hill
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Golden
authors.forename: Bruce B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Honey E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: East
authors.forename: Christie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ballantyne
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography