Metabolic Syndrome: A Predisposing Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The term metabolic syndrome (MetS) encompasses a cluster of risk factors such as central obesity, high blood pressure, impaired fasting glucose, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), all of which are specific to cardiovascular (CV) disease.1 MetS is frequently observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).2,3 In this regard, MetS abnormalities increase the risk of CV disease in these patients.4,5.