title: Association between metabolic syndrome and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our purpose was to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome and risk of stroke by meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic databases through July 2007 were searched to identify prospective cohort studies that examined the association between metabolic syndrome and risk of stroke. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and used a standardized form to collect data from published studies. The study quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found 13 eligible studies that included 92,732 participants. Compared to individuals without metabolic syndrome, subjects with metabolic syndrome had a 1.6-fold increased risk of stroke (95% CI, 1.48-1.75). The relative risk of stroke associated with metabolic syndrome was 2.2 in the studies using the World Health Organization definition and 1.6 in those using the Adult Treatment Panel III definition, but the difference was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This analysis shows that metabolic syndrome is an important risk factor for incident stroke. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome may prove useful in clinical management, and its elements should ultimately become important therapeutic targets for the reduction of the stroke burden in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dongrui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shejun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Zilong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shihong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*