Does metabolic syndrome increase cardiovascular risk?

Date
2011
Authors
Penman, Kristine
Supervisor
Koziol-McLain, Jane
Item type
Thesis
Degree name
Master of Health Science
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand. There is the potential to prevent up to 50% of these deaths through reducing cardiovascular risk. Metabolic syndrome has been considered to increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, however there is now much debate as to whether metabolic syndrome has anything to add to cardiovascular risk assessment. The latest New Zealand Guideline Group (2009) New Zealand Cardiovascular Guidelines Handbook does not include metabolic syndrome as increasing cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether metabolic syndrome increases cardiovascular risk by completing a systematic review. A search of MEDLINE was completed to identify cohort studies published from 2003 to 2010 that explored the impact metabolic syndrome has on cardiovascular disease. The New Zealand Guidelines Group (2001) Handbook for the Preparation of Explicit Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines was used to guide this systematic review. Eight articles met the chosen criteria and were subsequently critiqued. The results of these articles clearly demonstrate that metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease for people with metabolic syndrome compared with people who do not have metabolic syndrome, hazard ratio (HR) 1.57, 95% CI of 1.47-1.67. The increased risk of having a cardiovascular event for people with metabolic syndrome illustrates the need to identify people with metabolic syndrome and provide education and support to assist with improving lifestyle factors. Nurses are in an ideal position to support and educate people with metabolic syndrome to achieve this and therefore reduce the risk and incidence of cardiovascular disease.

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Keywords
cardiovascular disease , risk , metabolic syndrome , systematic review
Source
DOI
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