Abstract
The metabolic syndrome consists of a cluster of metabolic disorders, many of which
promote the development of atherosclerosis and increase the risk of cardiovascular
disease events. Insulin resistance may lie at the heart of the metabolic syndrome.
Elevated serum triglycerides commonly associate with insulin resistance and represent
a valuable clinical marker of the metabolic syndrome. Abdominal obesity is a clinical
marker for insulin resistance. The metabolic syndrome manifests 4 categories of abnormality:
atherogenic dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides, increased small low-density lipoproteins,
and decreased high-density lipoproteins), increased blood pressure, elevated plasma
glucose, and a prothrombotic state. Various therapeutic approaches for the patient
with the metabolic syndrome should be implemented to decrease the risk of cardiovascular
disease events. These interventions include decreasing obesity, increasing physical
activity, and managing dyslipidemia; the latter may require the use of pharmacotherapy
with cholesterol-lowering and triglyceride-lowering drugs.
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Publication History
Published online: August 16, 2004
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© 1999 Excerpta Medica Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
