Clustering of Metabolic Factors and Coronary Heart Disease

Abstract

PERSONS WHO develop coronary heart disease (CHD) typically have more than 1 risk factor. This tendency to cluster is part of the foundation for expert panel recommendations concerning cholesterol and blood pressure interventions that emphasize the treatment of several factors at a time to reduce coronary risk.^1,2 While this approach has been taken clinically, the extent of metabolic risk factor clustering, the impact of initial weight and weight change on the extent of risk factor clustering over time, and the association of clustering with CHD incidence have not been well documented.³