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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Having metabolic syndrome means you have three or more disorders related to your metabolism at the same time, including:
- Obesity, with your body fat concentrated around your waist (having an "apple shape"). For a metabolic syndrome diagnosis, obesity is defined by having a waist circumference of 40 inches (102 centimeters or cm) or more for men and 35 inches (89 cm) or more for women, although waist circumference cutoff points can vary by race.
- Increased blood pressure, meaning a systolic (top number) blood pressure measurement of 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or more or a diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure measurement of 85 mm Hg or more.
- High blood sugar level, with a fasting blood glucose test result of 100 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL), or 5.6 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), or more.
- High cholesterol, with a level of the blood fat called triglycerides of 150 mg/dL, (1.7 millimoles/liter or mmol/L) or more and a level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol — of less than 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L) for men or 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) for women.
Having one component of metabolic syndrome means you're more likely to have others. And the more components you have, the greater are the risks to your health.
When to see a doctor
If you know you have at least one component of metabolic syndrome — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or an apple-shaped body — you may have the others and not know it. It's worth checking with your doctor. Ask whether you need testing for other components of the syndrome and what you can do to avoid serious diseases.
- Meigs JB. The metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance syndrome or syndrome X). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 15, 2011.
- Metabolic syndrome. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ms/ms_all.html. Accessed Aug. 15, 2011.
- Alberti KG, et al. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: A joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation. 2009;120:1640.
- Grundy SM, et al. Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome: An American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute scientific statement. Circulation. 2005;112:2735.
- Steinberger J, et al. Progress and challenges in metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. Circulation. 2009;119:628.
- Aim for a healthy weight. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm. Accessed Aug. 15, 2011.
- Lear SA, et al. Appropriateness of waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio cutoffs for different ethnic groups. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010;64:42.
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