ISSN: 3091-2008
Edición Bianual:
Vol. 4 Num. 9, PP 37-55
DOI:
Palabras clave: síndrome metabólico, prevalencia, factores de riesgo, obesidad abdominal,
enfermedades cardiovasculares, salud pública
ABSTRACT: Metabolic syndrome is one of the major public health problems due to its high
prevalence and its close association with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and
other chronic noncommunicable diseases. The objective of this systematic review was to
analyze the scientific evidence on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its associated risk
factors in adults seen in internal medicine clinics. A systematic review was conducted in
accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement through searches in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus,
SciELO, LILACS, and Google Scholar, considering studies published between 2016 and 2026. The
search identified 1,248 records; after removing duplicates and applying the eligibility criteria,
15 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The results showed that the prevalence
of metabolic syndrome ranged from 31.2% to 48.2%, with the highest rates observed in Latin
American countries. The main risk factors identified were abdominal obesity, advanced age,
high blood pressure, physical inactivity, hyperglycemia, and abnormal lipid profiles.
Furthermore, significant heterogeneity was observed among studies, attributed, among other
factors, to the different diagnostic criteria used to define metabolic syndrome. It is concluded
that this condition has a high prevalence in the adult population and is strongly associated with
modifiable risk factors; therefore, it is a priority to strengthen strategies for prevention, early
detection, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles to reduce its impact on public health.
Keywords: metabolic síndrome, prevalence, risk factors, abdominal obesity, cardiovascular
diseases, public health
INTRODUCCIÓN
El síndrome metabólico podría considerarse uno de los problemas de salud pública más
importantes a escala global por su alta prevalencia y por la estrecha relación que mantiene con
la aparición de las enfermedades cardiovasculares, diabetes mellitus tipo 2, enfermedad renal
crónica o muerte prematura. Se caracteriza por la coexistencia de alteraciones fisiológicas y
metabólicas, que engloban la obesidad abdominal, la hipertensión arterial, la hiperglucemia, la
hipertrigliceridemia y la disminución de las concentraciones de colesterol asociado a
lipoproteínas de alta densidad (HDL). La presencia simultánea de estas alteraciones se asocia con
un riesgo cardiometabólico importante, lo que representa un relevante problema para los
sistemas sanitarios por los problemas clínicos, económicos o sociales que implica (1).
Desde hace varias décadas, la transición epidemiológica, el envejecimiento demográfico, la
acelerada urbanización y los cambios en estilos de vida han sido algunos de los factores que han
favorecido el aumento sostenido de la prevalencia del síndrome metabólico en diversas áreas del
planeta. Por ejemplo, el consumo excesivo de alimentos ultraprocesados, la disminución de la
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