Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Stroke

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers presenting at the 29th Annual International Stroke Conference say having metabolic syndrome may double a patient's risk of stroke.

Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of five cardiovascular risk factors, which include obesity, high fasting levels of blood sugar, high triglyceride levels, low levels of HDL (good cholesterol), and high blood pressure. Experts say patients have metabolic syndrome when they have at least three of the five risk factors. The syndrome also increases a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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Researchers studied more than 1,800 participants who did not have diabetes. Nearly 28 percent of the men in the study and nearly 22 percent of the women in the study were diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome without the presence of diabetes. When an additional 216 patients with diabetes were added to the study, more than 30 percent of men and nearly 25 percent of women had metabolic syndrome.

Results show men with metabolic syndrome have a 78-percent greater risk of stroke, and women with the condition have more than double the risk of stroke than those without metabolic syndrome. After 14 years, about 6 percent of men and 4 percent of women in the study had a stroke or transient ischemic attack. However, researchers say patients with diabetes had a significantly higher risk of stroke over 10 years than those with metabolic syndrome.

Researchers say, although metabolic syndrome is not as strong of a risk factor as diabetes, the condition occurs more often than diabetes and is a major consideration for stroke risk. Robert M. Najarian, from Boston University School of Medicine, says: "Metabolic syndrome looks like the precursor for a number of health problems. Because the prevalence of the syndrome is so high, we need to start thinking about how to prevent the condition."

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SOURCE: The American Stroke Association's 29th International Conference in San Diego, Feb. 5-7, 2004