011 - The Metabolic Syndrome
Autor(s): G. Borretta, C.G. Croce
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 6, N. 3-S1, 2010 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 11-14
The Metabolic Syndrome (MS) represents a cluster of metabolic abnormalities that are risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Though MS is recognized as an autonomous clinical entity, its true clinical and prognostic value is still debated. Actually the diagnosis of MS is an easy clinical tool to select high risk subjects and on the whole to fight the increasing obesity and sedentary lifestyles. Excess of adiposity is the main causal factor of MS; the increase of free fatty acids metabolic turn over and the release of adipokines, related to obesity, lead to an insulin resistant state that represents the unifying pathogenetic mechanism of the MS components. Moreover, some endocrine diseases, also in their more frequent subclinical presentation, are often linked to the MS phenotype. Therefore it remains to be demonstrated that the treatment of these endocrinopathies improves MS outcomes.