title: Sex factors in the metabolic syndrome as a predictor of cardiovascular disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterized by a cluster of metabolic disorders and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study analyzed data from the Korean Health and Genome Study to examine the impact of MetS on CVD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 8,898 subjects (4,241 males and 4,657 females), 40 to 69 years of age, were enrolled and evaluated for the development of new onset CVD from 2001 to 2012 (median 8.1 years of follow-up).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of MetS at baseline was 22.0% (932/4,241) and 29.7% (1,383/4,657) in males and females, respectively. MetS was associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD; hazard ratio [HR], 1.818; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.312 to 2.520 in males; HR, 1.789; 95% CI, 1.332 to 2.404 in females) and CVD (HR, 1.689; 95% CI, 1.295 to 2.204 in males; HR, 1.686; 95% CI, 1.007 to 2.192 in females). Specifically, MetS was associated with risk of future stroke in females only (HR, 1.486; 95% CI, 1.007 to 2.192). Among MetS components, abdominal obesity and hypertension were independent predictors of both CHD and CVD. In addition, a higher number of MetS components correlated with higher CVD risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MetS is a significant risk factor for the development of CVD although its impact varies between sexes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A Medical Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Sunghwan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jongha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A Medical Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Nyoun
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A Medical Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyoung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A Medical Center, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Duk Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea. chnaha@ajou.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Nam H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. leemk@skku.edu.
authors.forename: Moon Kyu
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Coronary disease; Metabolic syndrome; Sex; Stroke