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Study Reveals Striking 50% Increase Worldwide in ''Metabolic Syndrome,'' a Risk Factor for Heart Disease, Stroke and Diabetes, Despite Improvements in Cholesterol

Posted on: Sunday, 12 March 2006, 15:00 CST

TNS Healthcare and Physicians from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital Announce Study Results at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Scientific Session

TNS Healthcare, along with physicians from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, today releases findings suggesting that the prevalence of "metabolic syndrome"--a condition that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes--has increased nearly 50% over the past 6 years in both the U.S. and Europe. The increase occurred despite improvements in treatments which have resulted in fewer patients diagnosed with high cholesterol and low HDL. The results will be announced at the American College of Cardiology 55th Annual Scientific Session in Atlanta on March 12, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. EST and published in JACC (Steinberg BA et al, JACC 2006:47:209A)

According to CardioMonitor(TM)-- TNS Healthcare's annual international study of cardiovascular patients--this increase in metabolic syndrome have been driven by a worldwide increase in obesity and its complications. CardioMonitor, the world's largest cardiovascular patient database, includes information on 5,000 patients a year in the US and 15,000 patients a year in Europe. Based on the American Heart Association definition, modified to accommodate available data, metabolic syndrome is present in patients with at least three of the following:

-- BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 or physician-diagnosed obesity

-- Triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dL or treatment with fibrates or nicotinic acid

-- HDL less than 40 mg/dL (men) or less than 50 mg/dL (women) or treatment with fibrates or nicotinic acid

-- SBP greater than or equal to 130 or DBP greater than or equal to 85 or physician-diagnosed hypertension or treatment with an antihypertensive agent

-- Diabetes, as diagnosed by the physician, or in 2004, physician-diagnosed impaired glucose tolerance

"Many of the advances in cardiovascular disease treatment that have come as a result of greater statin use may now be reversed by increasing rates of obesity and pre-diabetes," said Dr Christopher Cannon, Associate Professor of Medicine and Senior Investigator in the TIMI Study Group of the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham & Women's Hospital. "It is critical that physicians and patients take appropriate measures to treat all aspects of metabolic syndrome, rather than focusing on statins alone."

Results Include:

-- In 1998, 2001, and 2004, 61.4 million, 66.7 million, and 67.2 million adults in the US were estimated to have CVD or CAD risk factors, respectively.

-- Rates of hypertriglyceridemia (46%, 46%, 40%), low HDL (35%, 33%, 33%), all decreased over the observed time period, as statin usage increased from 37%, to 51%, to 52%.

-- Despite these trends, the rates of Met Syn (greater than or equal to3 of any of these) increased from 36%, to 38%, to 44% over the same period. This increase, therefore, was primarily driven by rates of obesity (30%, 35%, 48%) and impaired glucose tolerance (18%, 20%, 27%) over this period.

"The recognition of metabolic syndrome in recent years has helped focus attention on how many factors are at play when dealing with cardiovascular disease," said Cannon. "This study, for the first time, details the severity of this syndrome, how it's changed over the past 6 years and the urgency for using new and existing medical treatments and/or improved strategies for lifestyle modification to reverse this trend."

About TNS Healthcare

TNS Healthcare is part of TNS, one of the world's leading market information companies, providing market measurement, analysis and insight through its operating units in 70 countries. Working with national and multi-national organizations, TNS helps clients develop effective business strategies and enhance customer relationships.

In the US, TNS provides full-service, primary market research. Our mission is to become our clients' "sixth sense of business," giving them a deeper understanding of customer behaviors...a stronger ability to anticipate and impact customer actions...and greater insight into what customers really want. TNS Healthcare builds on that mission with a suite of services to support pharmaceutical, biotech and device companies across the full life cycle, including product development; positioning and segmentation strategies; message development; campaign creation: and performance optimization for brands, treatments, consumer and provider communications and sales forces.

TNS is listed on the London Stock Exchange (TNN).

Source: Business Wire

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