Premature coronary heart disease, cigarette smoking, and the metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome and cigarette smoking each increase the risk of a recurrent event in patients with premature coronary heart disease. We explored the association between cigarette smoking and the metabolic syndrome by examining 705 men aged < 55 years and 296 women < 65 years within 6 to 12 months of a major coronary heart disease event. Most were taking statins (96%) and antihypertensive drugs (88%). Nearly 1/3 of the subjects had the full metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria. These subjects were less likely to be nonsmokers than were those with <= 2 components of the metabolic syndrome (13.2% vs 24.2%, p <0.0001). After adjustment for age, educational attendance, and alcohol consumption, the odds ratio (OR) for the metabolic syndrome was doubled in men who smoked cigarettes daily (OR 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 3.7) or who were ex-smokers (OR 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 3.9) compared with nonsmokers. Female ex-smokers had an increased risk compared with nonsmokers (OR 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 3.9). Ex-smokers were more likely to meet the metabolic syndrome cutoff levels for waist circumference and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p <= 0.01) than were nonsmokers. Also, male ex-smokers were more likely to exceed the cutoff level for triglycerides (p = 0.004). These findings indicate that although smoking cessation is imperative for patients with premature CHD, the metabolic risks associated with overweight and obesity after cessation need to be addressed. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.