[Metabolic syndrome: epidemiology and its risks]

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is rising, particularly in developed countries, and this is largely driven by increasing obesity and sedentarity rates. Regardless of the definition, the prevalence found in France was lower than in North America and in other European countries; it varied from 11.7 p. cent in men and 7.5 p. cent in women according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) definition to 26 p. cent in men and 18.4 p. cent in women according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. The presence of the metabolic syndrome promotes the occurrence of type 2 diabetes and clinical atherosclerosis. Relative risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is close to 2 in subjects with metabolic syndrome. The informative value of identifying metabolic syndrome has been demonstrated in the general population as well as in hypertensive subjects. However, it could provide only limited clinical value for cardiovascular disease risk stratification in type 2 diabetes mellitus.