[Metabolic syndrome in coronary artery and occlusive vascular diseases: a systematic review]

Nowadays, the metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent and is associated with risk factors for non-transmissible chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, and coronary atherosclerotic disease. The objective of this systematic review is to describe the results of studies that investigated the association of MS with coronary artery disease and occlusive vascular diseases. We conducted a systematic review of data from original studies published between 1999 and 2008, written in English or Portuguese, using the databases Medline, Pubmed, Science Direct and HighWire Press. We included articles in which the diagnosis of MS was made by the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program - Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III, 2001). We excluded studies with animals, supplementation studies, and those with oral or intravenous administration of any substance, as well as those of low methodological quality and those which had a heterogeneous initial sample. Despite the heterogeneity among studies, we observed that individuals with MS had a higher probability (risk = 2.13) of developing occlusive vascular diseases, coronary disease, diabetes and stroke. Lifestyle changes such as healthy eating habits, regular physical activity and cessation of smoking should be encouraged by health professionals to minimize the complications and morbidity associated with MS.