Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) refers to co–existence of various metabolic abnormalities that predispose patients to increased cardiovascular risk. Despite the alarmingly increasing prevalence of MS in the Asian population, data on the correlation between MS and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is limited. This study aimed to find the association between MS and ACS.

Methods: A case–control study was performed including fifty Consecutive patients of age 35 to 65 years admitted with ACS at a tertiary health care centre in South India. The control group included 50 age and sex matched individuals hospitalized with non–cardiac illness during the study period. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. MS was diagnosed when waist circumference was >90 cm in males and >80 cm in females plus any two of the following factors (i) Systolic blood pressure >130 mmHg and diastolic pressure >85 mmHg (ii) Fasting plasma glucose >100 mg/dl (iii) Serum triglycerides > 150 mg/dl (iv) HDL cholesterol levels  <40 mg/dl in male and <50 mg/dl in female or on treatment for any of these abnormalities. The association between MS and its individual components with ACS were analysed.

Results: Study enrolled 50 cases and 50 controls (males 82, females 18). MS was diagnosed in 27(54%) of cases and 9(18%) (p<0.001) of controls. The frequencies of various MS components in the cases and controls were as follows: waist circumference >80/90 in 33 (66%) vs 17 (34%), BP >130/85 in 32(64%) vs 9(18%), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) >100 in 29(58%) vs 20(40%), HDL <40(male) /50(female) in 25(50%) vs 13(26%), Triglycerides >150 in 23(46%) vs 18(36%).

Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with acute coronary syndrome compared to age matched controls. Screening patients for MS and adequate control of the deranged metabolic parameters might prove beneficial in reducing the cardiovascular risk.