Metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts cardio and cerebrovascular events in a twenty years follow-up. A prospective study

► The incidence of events, fatal and not, was higher in patients affected by MetS. ► There was a significant different prevalence in not fatal AMI and ischemic stroke. ► There is a significant different prevalence of fatal and not fatal cerebro-CV events. ► Free-events survival was lower in patients affected by MetS than in the healthy ones. ► Multivariate analysis showed as predictors of CV events: subclin. ATS, MetS, BMI, hCRP.