REVIEW ARTICLE |
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Year : 2009 | Volume
: 10
| Issue : 1 | Page : 17-26 |
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Reducing cardiovascular risk in the metabolic syndrome: What we know and what we still need to know
Antonio M Gotto
, Jr, M.D., DPhil, Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, USA
Correspondence Address:
Antonio M Gotto Jr, MD, DPhil, c/o Jennifer Moon, PhD., Weill Cornell Medical College, 1305 York Ave. Y-806, New York, NY 10021 USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |

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Since its identification as a group of cardiovascular risk factors that frequently cluster together, the metabolic syndrome has been the subject of controversy. Several definitions exist, and some commentators claim that the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome may not even be clinically useful. Nevertheless, it is clear that the factors that comprise the syndrome-elevated levels of triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood glucose, and abdominal obesity-even considered individually, increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and need to be treated, and that risk increases with the number of risk factors present. This review will discuss the predictive value and approaches to treatment of each of the risk factors comprising the metabolic syndrome and will provide a justification for that designation. In addition, it will pose several questions that remain to be answered in order for us to provide optimal prevention strategies and treatment for this increasingly prevalent syndrome adults. |
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