Enhanced intra-abdominal visceral fat accumulation in patients with Werner's syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Studies were made on the abnormality of glucose and lipid metabolism and its cause in four patients with Werner's syndrome to infer the reason for accelerated atherogenesis in this syndrome. RESULTS: Of these four patients, hypercholesterolemia was found in three, hypertriglyceridemia in four, hypoalphalipoproteinemia in two and hypertension in two. All the patients had insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus and three of them had apparent hyperinsulinemia. Abdominal computed tomography revealed that all of them had visceral fat obesity, namely augumented intra-abdominal adipose tissue. CONCLUSION: The clinical features of these patients resemble those recently designated as insulin resistant syndrome (syndrome X) or visceral fat syndrome. The metabolic abnormality may be one of important factors in the accelerated atherogenesis in this syndrome.