Overview

What is metabolic syndrome?

Heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are some of the conditions that constitute metabolic syndrome. Abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess body fat around the middle characterize it.

What are the symptoms of metabolic syndrome?

High blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol levels, elevated triglycerides, and excess body fat around the waist are typical features of metabolic syndrome. These disorders may predispose one to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

What causes metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is highly associated with obesity, overweight, and a sedentary lifestyle.

It is also related to a condition called insulin resistance. Your digestive system usually converts the sugar that you consume. Your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin that helps to carry sugar into your cells for energy.

Insulin resistance impairs a person's ability for glucose to enter the cells and also causes abnormal responses of the cells to insulin. As a result, though your body continues to produce more and more insulin in its effort to lower your blood sugar level, your level of blood sugar continues to go up.

How is metabolic syndrome diagnosed?

During the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, a physician often refers to several criteria, such as:

Physical examination:

Measurement of the waist circumference
Blood pressure

Blood tests:

Lipid panel- This includes measuring triglycerides, LDL ("bad"), and HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Fasting blood glucose

Diagnostic Criteria:

At least three of the following must be present to diagnose metabolic syndrome:

Waist circumference: Measures abdominal obesity. For women, it is 35 inches or more; for men, it is 40 inches or more.
Elevated triglycerides: greater than or equal to 150 mg/dL or on treatment to reduce triglycerides.
Reduced HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dL in men <50 mg/dL in women or on anti-low-HDL drugs.

How is the metabolic syndrome treated?

Lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of treatment in metabolic syndrome. Drugs are often required, however, depending on how severe the disease is.

Lifestyle changes:

Weight loss
Exercise in the routine
Balance diet
Quit smoking

Medication:

The diseases that lead to metabolic syndrome can be treated using different drugs and treatments. They are:

Cholesterol medication: Patients on prescription statins (HMG CoA reductase inhibitors) reduce their cholesterol level to a healthy range.

Antihypertensives: prescription drugs that lower blood pressure, exerting their effect by different mechanisms. Examples include thiazides, ACE inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers.

Oral diabetes drugs work through several mechanisms to lower blood sugar. The most commonly prescribed is a type of biguanide drug called metformin.

Bariatric surgery: Also known as obesity surgery, it is a surgical procedure meant to help the obese lose weight. If you happen to be obese and your doctor does not think that surgery would benefit your health, then bariatric surgery would be advised only if other weight loss measures have failed.

Treatments for sleep disorders include the use of CPAP machines for sleep apnea and sleeping medications for insomnia.

The term " psychotherapy," also applied to talk therapy, is a generic term that applies to several therapeutic interventions aimed at helping someone develop new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that break down debilitating thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

You can learn how to break a pattern of destructive eating habits or how to manage stress with psychotherapy.

What are the risk factors for metabolic syndrome?

The following characteristics tend to increase a person's risk of developing metabolic syndrome:

Age: It is one of the risk factors, where the risk increases with age.
Overweight: An excess body weight, mainly around or in the abdomen, increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Diabetes: If you or someone in your family has had diabetes during your pregnancy or if anyone in your family has ever suffered from type 2 diabetes, then your risk of having metabolic syndrome increases.
Other conditions: Other conditions that may increase the possibility of getting metabolic syndrome are sleep apnea, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Is metabolic syndrome preventable?

A lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle may assist in preventing risk factors for metabolic syndrome. A healthy lifestyle entails the following:

Exercising more than 30 minutes a day, consuming plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats
Reduction of salt and saturated fats, maintaining control of weight
Quitting smoking.

Living With

When should I go to a doctor if I have metabolic syndrome?

For the most part, you should visit your doctor when having some metabolic disorders. Visit your doctor when any of the following adverse effects happen to you:

Make sure you see your doctor regularly: This will allow your doctor to monitor your condition and change your treatment plan if necessary.
Changes in symptoms: Discuss with your physician any new or worsening symptoms or if prescription medications do not provide relief.
Lifestyle interventions: Consult your doctor if you make a significant change in your lifestyle, such as introducing a new diet or exercise routine.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Metabolic Syndrome?

Tender Palm Hospital has the most experienced team of Cardiologists, Cardiac Surgeons, and diagnostics with the latest and International standard infection control measures in Lucknow, India. The Cardiac Science Centre team has decades of experience in successfully treating Metabolic Syndrome.