A number of expert groups have
developed clinical criteria for the
metabolic syndrome. The most widely
accepted of these were produced by the
World Health Organization (WHO), the
European Group for the Study of Insulin
Resistance (EGIR), and the National
Cholesterol Education Program – Third
Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP ATP
III).24-26 All groups agreed on the core
components of the metabolic syndrome:
obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia
and hypertension. However, the existing
guidelines were either diffi cult to use or
gave confl icting results when attempting
to identify individuals with the metabolic
syndrome in clinical practice.