Metabolic syndrome does not predict an increased risk of coronary disease in patients with traditional risk factors referred for stress imaging study.

Background: The impact of metabolic syndrome on the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD) in subjects with multiple traditional risk factors is unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 2,626 consecutive subjects who underwent clinically indicated stress imaging studies using echocardiography or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion. Patients with known CAD were excluded leaving 1256 subjects.