The metabolic syndrome (MetS) constitutes a major public health problem in the developed countries.(1) It is cited with different names, such as syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome, Reaven's syndrome or CHAOS (Australia). MetS increases the cardiovascular risk, but with specific lifestyle changes and individualized drug treatment the development of serious vascular complications can be avoided. In the last years, MetS has become a prevalent clinical condition. Therefore, it is necessary to create a complete document on the diagnosis and clinical management of MetS to avoid the confusion that derives from the vast amount of scientific papers, different revisions and definitions of the syndrome appearing in international literature during the last years