Metabolic syndrome.

The authors present the history of selecting and understanding the essence of the metabolic syndrome (X syndrome, Reaven's syndrome) related to insulin resistance as well as its contemporary working definition allowing diagnosing affected individuals. They describe the cycle of their own study investigating the prevalence of metabolic syndrome elements in patients treated because of their thyrotoxicosis. It has been observed that 4 weeks after thyrostatic treatment is started, many of these patients are affected by the growth of their body mass and total cholesterol level (mostly at the cost of LDL-cholesterol). After 2 years the growth of body mass is significant, many patients develop arterial hypertension. After 15 years of obesity, diabetes type 2 (DM-2), arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinaemia and full metabolic syndrome are found much more frequently than in the control group. In the research carried in the 1987--1989 period, we found the following in 11,546 subjects from the Lublin region (villagers aged over 18): overweight in 36% women and 34% of men, and obesity in 30% of women and 10% of men, and arterial hypertension in 24.2% and DM 2 in 2.7% of the whole examined group. Within the research carried out between 1998 and 2000 we examined 3,782 persons (63%) out of 6,000 persons aged over 35 carefully selected from the Lublin town and the Lublin region villages. DM 2 was found in 17.6% of the examined in the countryside and in 14.1% from the town (newly diagnosed diabetes--75% and 56% respectively). Obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) was found in 30.8% of the examined from villages and 30.1% town dwellers, arterial hypertension (RR > or = 140/90 mmHg) was found in 69.4% villagers and 68.6% subjects from the town. Total serum cholesterol > or = 5.2 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) was found in 66.4% of the examined from the countryside and in 60% from the town, LDL-cholesterol > or = 3.5 mmol/l (135 mg/dl) was found in 57.3% and 52.6% respectively, and triglycerides > or = 1.7 mmol/l (150 mg/dl) in 33,3% and 44.8 respectively. Hypo-HDL-cholesterolaemia was found in 21.7% of the examined from villages and in 31.4% of the examined from Lublin. 76.5% of the examined from the countryside and 72.7% from the town had a raised WHR index.