For patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), several studies have examined the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and prognostic outcome. However, few studies have revealed an association between the metabolic syndrome and clinical outcomes in patients with unstable angina (UA). This study compared the differences in the usefulness of recognizing metabolic disorders for the prediction of a 1-year prognosis in patients with UA and AMI. The study cohort consisted of 1173 patients with a mean age of 67 years. The focus was on general prognostic factors and five metabolic disorders (body mass index; hypertension; blood glucose/diabetes mellitus; and, serum concentrations of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) at the time of admission. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, metabolic scores on admission positively related to 1-year mortality or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) for patients with UA, but not for those with AMI, with an increase in either all-causes mortality or MACE being associated with the degree of metabolic dysfunction. No other general prognostic factors were related to either 1-year mortality or MACE in patients with UA. By contrast, general prognostic factors such as age and the Killip classification had a positive effect on 1-year mortality or on MACE for the patients with AMI. Accumulation of the effects of each metabolic disorder may affect mortality and MACE for patients with UA.