What is the significance of metabolic syndrome

Some people are at risk for metabolic syndrome because they take medicines that cause weight gain or changes in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

These medicines most often are used to treat inflammation, allergies, HIV, and depression and other types of mental illness. Some racial and ethnic groups in the United States are at higher risk for metabolic syndrome than others.

Mexican Americans have the highest rate of metabolic syndrome, followed by whites and blacks. Metabolic syndrome increases your risk for ischemic heart disease. Other risk factors, besides metabolic syndrome, also increase your risk for heart disease. Your risk category depends on which risk factors you have and how many you have. Your risk factors are used to calculate your year risk of developing heart disease. The NCEP has an online calculator that you can use to estimate your year risk of having a heart attack.

The best way to prevent metabolic syndrom is to adopt heart-healthy lifestyle changes. Make sure to schedule routine doctor visits to keep track of your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Speak with your doctor about a blood test called a lipoprotein panel, which shows your levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke. These risk factors can increase your risk for health problems even if they're only moderately raised borderline-high risk factors. Most of the metabolic risk factors have no signs or symptoms, although a large waistline is a visible sign. Some people may have symptoms of high blood sugar if diabetes—especially type 2 diabetes—is present.

Symptoms of high blood sugar often include increased thirst; increased urination, especially at night; fatigue tiredness ; and blurred vision.

High blood pressure usually has no signs or symptoms. However, some people in the early stages of high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells, or more nosebleeds than usual. Your doctor will diagnose metabolic syndrome based on the results of a physical exam and blood tests.

You must have at least three of the five metabolic risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Having a large waistline means that you carry excess weight around your waist abdominal obesity.

This is also called having an "apple-shaped" figure. Your doctor will measure your waist to find out whether you have a large waistline. A waist measurement of 35 inches or more for women or 40 inches or more for men is a metabolic risk factor.

A large waistline means you're at increased risk for heart disease and other health problems. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood.

HDL cholesterol sometimes is called "good" cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure. If only one of your two blood pressure numbers is high, you're still at risk for metabolic syndrome.

About 85 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes—the most common type of diabetes—also have metabolic syndrome. These people have a much higher risk for heart disease than the 15 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes without metabolic syndrome. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for metabolic syndrome. The major goal of treating metabolic syndrome is to reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease. Treatment is directed first at lowering LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure and managing diabetes if these conditions are present.

Long-term complications of diabetes often include heart and kidney disease, vision loss, and foot or leg amputation. If diabetes is present, the goal of treatment is to reduce your risk for heart disease by controlling all of your risk factors. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes include heart-healthy eating , aiming for a healthy weight , managing stress , physical activity , and quitting smoking.

For example, you may need statin medications to control or lower your cholesterol. By lowering your blood cholesterol level, you can decrease your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Doctors usually prescribe statins for people who have:.

Doctors may discuss beginning statin treatment with those who have an elevated risk for developing heart disease or having a stroke. When you have at least three of them, it is called metabolic syndrome. These risk factors include. The more factors you have, the higher your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke is. People who have metabolic syndrome often also have excessive blood clotting and inflammation throughout the body.

Researchers don't know whether these conditions cause metabolic syndrome or worsen it. Most of the metabolic risk factors have no obvious signs or symptoms, except for a large waistline. Your health care provider will diagnose metabolic syndrome based on the results of a physical exam and blood tests.

You must have at least three of the risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:. If making lifestyle changes is not enough, you may need to take medicines. For example, you may need medicines to lower cholesterol or blood pressure.

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

Learn More Related Issues. See, Play and Learn No links available. Resources Find an Expert. For You Children Patient Handouts. What is metabolic syndrome? Some researchers consider that obesity could be the starting point for metabolic syndrome. This may help prevent you from developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance means that your body does not use the hormone insulin as effectively as it should, especially in the muscles and liver.

Normally, your digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which then passes from your intestine into your bloodstream. As your blood glucose level rises, your pancreas secretes insulin into your bloodstream. Insulin allows glucose to move into your muscle cells from your blood. When a person has insulin resistance, the pancreas needs to produce and release more insulin than usual to maintain normal blood glucose levels.

It is thought that more than a quarter of the population has some degree of resistance to insulin. Insulin resistance increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and is found in most people with this form of diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes frequently also have other features of metabolic syndrome and a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular heart and blood vessel disease.

More than half of all Australians have at least one of the metabolic syndrome conditions. Suggestions for reducing your risk include:. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Aortic stenosis may be congenital present from before birth , but is often diagnosed during teenage years. Healthy eating and lifestyle changes can help to manage high blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can increase your risk of heart attack, kidney failure and stroke.

Heart Foundation of Australia warns of the risk of high blood pressure and tells you what you can do to keep your blood pressure down. CPR is a life-saving skill that everyone should learn from an accredited organisation. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

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Skip to main content. Home Heart. Metabolic syndrome. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome conditions are linked Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance Insulin resistance and diabetes Reducing your risk of metabolic syndrome Where to get help Things to remember. Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome is not a disease in itself, but a collection of risk factors for that often occur together.

IFG occurs when blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Central obesity Central obesity is when the main deposits of body fat are around the abdomen and the upper body. Cholesterol and triglycerides Cholesterol is a fatty substance that we make in our liver.