Metabolic Syndrome1, Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis You'll Want to Know | > |
Metabolic syndrome1 is the topic again this time. This second time though we will discuss the symptoms, causes and diagnosis. How is this condition diagnosed? There is no one set of standards used for this but the standards set by the National Cholesterol Education Program is the one recommended.
Even though there is no clear-cut accepted standard, this is the one recommended by the American Heart Association along with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. They think that when three of the following are present, then metabolic syndrome1 is at hand:
- High circumference of the waist which is equal to or greater than 40 inches or 102 cm for men and equal to or greater than 35 inches or 88 cm for women
- Reduced HDL cholesterol to less than 40 mg/dL in men and less than 50 mg/dL in women
- High triglycerides with equal to or greater than 150 mg/dL
- High fasting glucose equal to or higher than 100 mg/dL
- High blood pressure equal to or greater than 130/85 mm Hg
The question now then is when do you try to get medical help? If you have at least one of the aforementioned symptoms, it is good to consult with the physician for some medical advice. Find out if you need to be tested for the other aspects of this condition. This way you will avoid the serious diseases that are associated to it.
As for tests and diagnosis, the doctor may not be specifically looking for metabolic syndrome but to diagnose the condition he will just consult the aforementioned standards and can tell you have the condition if you have three or more of those traits or receiving treatment for them.
Regarding the elevated waist circumference, there are genetic factors like having a family history of diabetes or being of Asian ethnic origin that will increase the risk for insulin resistance so the waist circumference limit is lowered to 31 to 35 inches for women and 37 to 39 inches for men.
I have heard a lot about metabolic syndrome lately. Is it common? Just look around you and you will see how common it is. In fact, the statistics shows about 20% to 30% in industrialized places have this condition. They are even predicting there will be 50 to 70 million people will have it in 2010.
So that my loved ones and I can avoid developing this, what are the causes of this condition? The environment and heredity both play a role in this. A family history of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease increases one's risk to develop this condition.
As for the environment low physical activity and increased weight contribute to it. This condition occurs in 5% of people with normal weight, in 22% of those who are overweight and 60% in those who are obese. So if you continue to add five pounds each year, your risk increases by 45%.
All experts agree that obesity is the greatest risk factor but there are others like smoking and eating a diet high in carbohydrates, and lack of physical activity. After menopause, women are at a higher risk. There you have the diagnosis, causes and symptoms but we ran out of space again so to deal with prevention and treatment we will have to do a third on this series of metabolic syndrome.
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