The cardiometabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

The cardiometabolic syndrome is a prevalent metabolic disorder. Epidemiologic studies correlate the cardiometabolic syndrome with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular mortality, and total mortality. There is also evidence that the cardiometabolic syndrome is a risk factor for abnormalities in myocardial metabolism, cardiac dysfunction, and arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. Multiple imaging modalities, both invasive and noninvasive, may help physicians better define the presence or risk of cardiovascular disease in their patients with the cardiometabolic syndrome.