Introduction: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an entity with a high and continuously increasing prevalence in the modern world. It is of great importance to have actual data about its prevalence. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of MetS in a selected population (i.e. patients from cardiology departments) using both NCEP ATP-III and IDF criteria. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the correlation of MetS and abdominal obesity with specific cardiovascular pathology, and to compare the prevalence of MetS according to the two definitions.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study developed in two parts: the pilot study evaluated all patients admitted to 12 cardiology departments of county hospitals, and the main study included 1176 patients in 15 cardiology departments.
Results: The prevalence of MetS in the pilot study (1326 patients, 53.4% men), using only NCEP ATP-III criteria, was 42.8% (45.9% in men and 39.4% in women, p = 0.01), while in the main study (1176 patients, 49.7% men) the prevalence of MetS according to NCEP ATP-III and to IDF criteria was 40.6% (38.3% in men and 42.3% in women) and 44.2% (43.1% in men and 45.3% in women), respectively. MetS represented a risk factor only for stable angina (RR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.20-1.53, p < 0.001), with no gender difference.
Conclusions: The prevalence of MetS and abdominal obesity is high in a population with cardiovascular disease. Both classifications showed a slightly higher prevalence of MetS in women compared to men. The relative risk of coronary heart disease associated with MetS was statistically significant only for stable angina.