DOC News August 1, 2006
Volume 3 Number 8 p. 12
© 2006 American Diabetes Association
Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Subclinical Atherosclerosis
Metabolic syndrome—a cluster of signs and symptoms that include
insulin resistance, a large waist size, hypertension, and
dyslipidemia—is recognized as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
factor. But new research indicates that metabolic syndrome is linked to early
atherosclerotic changes long before they are clinically apparent.
Researchers studied the association between metabolic syndrome and
atherosclerosis in a random sampling of 1,153 adults in France, 35–65
years old. None of the participants had clinical evidence of CVD. Each
participant had a physical exam and blood drawn for lab tests, high-resolution
ultra-sound to detect arterial plaques, and pulse wave velocity testing to
measure arterial stiffness.
When other risks were controlled for, the presence of metabolic syndrome
accurately predicted the number of arterial plaques, intimamedia thickness,
and pulse wave velocity. Metabolic syndrome just about doubled the risk of
subclinical atherosclerosis.
Metabolic syndrome "can be used as a surrogate marker for high CVD
risk, deserving aggressive treatment," the authors conclude.
Ahluwalia N, Drouet L, Ruidavets JB, et al.: Metabolic
syndrome is associated with markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in a French
population-based sample. Atherosclerosis 186: 345–353, 2006[Medline]
.
CiteULike 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
