Reaven's quartet [metabolic syndrome X]: a potent predictor of coronary events

ABSTRACT

Reaven's syndrome of the deadly quartet [Metabolic Syndrome X] of risk factors for coronary artery disease continues to attract attention. Whether or not insulin is atherogenic and hyperinsulinemia is the major link in this association, it subserves the importance of identifying and treating patients with varying degrees of glucose intolerance. This study confirms the presence of an adverse risk factor profile, and a clustering of risk factors in diabetics. Out of a total of 400 patients with coronary artery disease diabetes was present in 40 patients, hypertension in 120 patients, hypercholestrolemia in 100 patients and obesity in 96 patients. But the incidence of hypertension, dislipidemia and obesity in diabetics ranged from 70% to 90%. A similar profile was seen in the patients with impaired glucose tolerance. This clustering of adverse risk factors suggest that is a common link accounting for this cluster