Long-Term Prognostic Implications of Metabolic Syndrome in Heart Transplant Recipients

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MS) increases the risk of cardiovascular events due to endothelial dysfunction. There are few studies evaluating the impact of MS on the survival of heart transplantation (HTx) patients. Aim The aim of this study was to study the impact of MS in the early period and on the long-term survival after HTx. Materials and Methods We studied 196 HTx patients with a minimum survival of 1 year post-HTx. A diagnosis of MS was made at 3 months after HTx, if at least 3 of the following criteria were met: triglyceride levels ≥150 mg/dL (or drug treatment for hypertriglyceridemia); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)