Metabolic syndrome
Explanation
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of health risk factors that occur together and raise the chance of type 2 diabetes and diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
What makes it a syndrome?
The term describes several risk factors occurring together. They include a larger waist size, raised blood pressure, raised fasting blood sugar, high triglycerides, which are a type of fat in the blood, and low HDL cholesterol. HDL is a type of cholesterol that helps carry cholesterol away from the arteries.
Is high blood sugar the same as metabolic syndrome?
No. High blood sugar or prediabetes may be one part of the picture, but metabolic syndrome is the wider cluster. One risk factor alone does not mean that a person has metabolic syndrome.
How is it assessed?
Assessment may include medical and family history, waist measurement, blood pressure, and blood tests for glucose and blood fats. The exact threshold values used can depend on the guideline and the person being assessed, so results should be interpreted by the care team.
Can you have it without symptoms?
Yes. Many of the individual risk factors cause no obvious symptoms. The cluster may be found during a check-up or blood tests. Identifying it helps the care team discuss ways to reduce future risk and whether any individual factor needs treatment.
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