Objectives To examine the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components as risk factors for a cardiovascular (CV) event, in individuals without diabetes and/or hypertension, and to explore which of the risk factors are the most predictive for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and whether the assessment of risk could be simplified. Design A longitudinal, cross-sectional study.
Setting A randomly selected population. Participants In 2002 - 2005, 2816 randomly selected residents of Skaraborg, Sweden, underwent physical examinations and blood tests as part of the Skaraborg Project.
Exclusion of individuals with diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension at baseline left 2328 persons for analyses. Outcome measures CV events were assessed in 2011 using national Swedish registers.
Results A total of 293 (13%) were defined as having the MetS according to the National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) and 292 according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition, whereof 27 had a CV event after a mean follow-up time of 9.7 years.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 24 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on Individuals with the metabolic syndrome without diabetes and/or hypertension: which risk factors should healthcare workers pay extra attention to?
A longitudinal, cross-sectional study.
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