[Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and association with ischemic heart disease in cardiological outpatients].
BACKGROUND
The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors with a common pathological link: insulin resistance. We analyzed its prevalence and its impact for the presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD).


METHODS
We recorded data from 1,000 consecutive patients that attended the outpatient clinic of the Department of Cardiology from a tertiary hospital for the first time. The assessment of the metabolic syndrome was made according to the ATP-III.


RESULTS
The global prevalence of the MS was 27.3% (95% CI: 25.6-28.9), and increased parallel to age. The highest prevalence of MS was found in patients with diabetes or impaired fasting glucose (70.1%) followed by patients with obesity (58.6%) or hypertension (4.3%). MS conferred higher risk for IHD (OR: 5.5) as compared to diabetes (OR: 3.8). Half of the patients with IHD had MS as well as 90% of the diabetics with ischemic heart disease. MS conferred the highest risk for IHD in patients with obesity (OR: 8.6), hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 6.5), family history of IHD (OR: 5.6), overweight (OR: 5.5) or hypertension (OR: 4.6).


CONCLUSIONS
MS is highly prevalent in the patients from a Cardiological outpatient clinic and is an important risk factor for IHD, especially in subjects with obesity.
Cordero Fort
A
A
Departamento de Cardiología, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, España. acordero@unav.es
Moreno Arribas
J
J
Martín Arnau
A
A
Nasarre Lorite
E
E
Alegría Barrero
E
E
Alegría Ezquerra
E
E
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D010045:Outpatients; D015995:Prevalence