[The metabolic syndrome: marker of cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients? The importance of definition].

Abstract

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined by association of abdominal obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance and/or dyslipidemia. The objective of this study was to compare the new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition and the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP) definition and their association with cardio-vascular disease in hypertensive patients.

Population and method: Two hundred and thirty hypertensive patients were hospitalized successively for cardio-vascular disease exploration and hs-CRP measurement. The stratification of cardio-vascular risk was made according to the French recommendations. The IDF definition and the NCEP definition were compared according frequency of resistant hypertension and cardio-vascular disease extension.

Results: In our study, high cardio-vascular risk hypertension represented 68.5% of patients. Diabetes was present in 23.5% of them and obesity in 45.5%. Patients with cardio-vascular disease represented 60% of our study population. Prevalence of MetS was 38.5% according to the NCEP definition and 59% according to the IDF definition. The NCEP definition was allowed to select subjects with widespread vascular disease and resistant hypertension whereas the IDF definition did not. These results could be explained by lower waist circumference and glycaemia cuts offs according to the IDF criteria. When diabetic's patients were excluded, MetS was not associated with increase of resistant hypertension frequency. Moreover, hs-CRP was independently associated to the extension of the cardiovascular disease and smoking remained the most powerfully factor associated to the cardio-vascular disease extension.

Conclusion: In hypertensive patients, the NCEP definition seems more adapted to the diagnosis of MetS than the IDF one. Abdominal obesity could be the indispensable element to the MetS diagnosis but according to the NCEP waist circumference cut off. The use of this syndrome seems to be relevant to select the patients presenting an intermediate cardio-vascular risk in order to adapt treatment.