Relation of the number of metabolic syndrome risk factors with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a constellation of risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This syndrome consists of at least 3 parameters assessing central obesity, hypertension, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and impaired glucose metabolism. Whether persons with 4 or 5 risk factors are at higher risk than those with 3 risk factors is unclear. Also unclear is whether those without the MS but with I or 2 risk factors warrant therapy. We assessed cardiovascular and all-cause mortality as a function of the number of these risk factors. We followed 30,365 men for a median follow-up of 13.6 years. During follow-up, 1,449 participants died, 527 from cardiovascular causes. All of the individual parameters defining the MS were significantly associated with both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and the other MS variables, hypertension was the most potent risk factor whereas central obesity and hypertriglyceridemia remained associated with both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. A highly significant trend was also noted between both all-cause or cardiovascular mortality and the number of risk factors (p < 0.001 for trend). Risk increased incrementally, beginning at 1 risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and at 2 risk factors for all-cause mortality. In conclusion, there is a continuum of risk as the number of metabolic syndrome risk factors increases. These findings add to the growing evidence that central obesity can independently and adversely affect health. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.