A key concept of cardiometabolic risk is that the risk factors tend to cluster, as illustrated in this diagram. The cardiovascular and metabolic variables are often associated with each other and therefore can occur simultaneously. In recent years, the clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors has received increasing attention, leading groups such as the World Health Organization, International Diabetes Federation, and the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) (National Cholesterol Education Program) to issue clinical guidelines for identifying this particular group of risk factors as the metabolic syndrome.

Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Executive summary of the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA. 2001;285:2486-2497.