Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which several risk factors for heart disease are grouped together in one person. Due to that “cluster” of risk factors, a person with metabolic syndrome has a greater risk of developing CHD than would be expected from simply adding the individual risk factors together. People with metabolic syndrome are at 3 to 4 times higher risk of dying from CHD.

The components of metabolic syndrome include:

• Abdominal obesity (excess fat around the waist)
• Atherogenic dyslipidemia (high triglyceride, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol)
• High blood pressure
• Glucose intolerance or insulin resistance (conditions in which the body is unable to properly use blood sugar or insulin)
• Prothrombotic state (a condition in which blood vessels are more prone to developing blockages)
• Proinflammatory state (a condition in which blood vessels are more prone to developing inflammation)

If you have 3 or more of these components, you may have metabolic syndrome. Your doctor can perform blood tests and other examinations that can show if you have 1 or more of the components of metabolic syndrome. There is no treatment for metabolic syndrome itself, but your doctor may prescribe lifestyle changes or medications to treat components of metabolic syndrome.