The metabolic syndrome: a gathering challenge in a time of abundance.

The metabolic syndrome (also known as dysmetabolic syndrome, MetS, Reaven syndrome, syndrome X, and insulin-resistance syndrome) is a well-recognized and all-too-frequently encountered fact of modern life, with staggering economic consequences. Various aspects of the metabolic syndrome are considered in this review, including such features as insulin resistance with glucose intolerance, hypertension, beta-cell failure, hyperinsulinemia, frank diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and release of inflammatory and procoagulant factors into the circulation. Issues of management for the adolescent are considered also. Much can be accomplished for such youth by using the knowledge we currently have in hand, but many additional issues that are noted make the prospects for success extremely challenging for clinicians who deal with adolescent patients.