Pathophysiology of the prothrombotic state in metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by the presence of three of the following criteria: abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, decreased HDL cholesterol levels, high blood pressure under treatment, and hyperglycemia or diabetes mellitus under treatment. In most developed and developing countries, the prevalence of MS fluctuates between 20% and 30% in adult population.

The presence of MS represents an increased cardiovascular risk. This situation appears to be associated in part with the prothrombotic state that accompanies this syndrome, which includes endothelial dysfunction, hypercoagulability, hypofibrinolysis and platelet activation.

The prothrombotic state of MS has not been sufficiently studied. Better knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to such state is surely to be important in the search for new preventive and therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular events in such patients.