What is syndrome X?

What is syndrome X?

One syndrome X is normal epicardial coronaries with recurrent angina like chest pain and ST depression on exercise testing. Usually it is not a dangerous condition. The pain is thought to be due to microvascular and endothelial dysfunction [1]. Symptoms may decrease over a period of time.

There is also another metabolic syndrome X characterised by obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance. It is also known by the eponym Reaven syndrome, after Professor Gerald M. Reaven from the Stanford University School of Medicine, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 89 [2].

References

1. Agrawal S, Mehta PK, Bairey Merz CN. Cardiac Syndrome X: update 2014. Cardiol Clin. 2014 Aug;32(3):463-78. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2014.04.006. Epub 2014 Jun 2. PMID: 25091971; PMCID: PMC4122947.
2. Després JP. The Reaven syndrome: a tribute to a giant. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2018 Jun;14(6):319-320. doi: 10.1038/s41574-018-0013-5. PMID: 29686431.