Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a term that refers to a collection of disorders that occur together, the existence of which results in increasing the chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The following are some of the medical disorders, which if they occur in combination in a single individual, is thought to be symptomatic of the condition known as metabolic syndrome:

• Insulin resistance, also known as glucose intolerance, wherein the body loses its ability to use insulin adequately.
• Abnormalities in the blood lipids, characterized by high levels of triglycerides, high levels of LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ cholesterol), and low levels of HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ cholesterol) – these factors encourage the buildup of plaque formation in artery walls.
• Proinflammatory state, a condition wherein the C-reactive protein is high in the blood.
• Prothrombotic state, a condition wherein a person is predisposed to arterial or venous thrombosis, or blood clotting
• Abdominal obesity, wherein the fatty tissue is excessive in the abdominal region.
• General obesity - people with metabolic syndrome are usually overweight.
• High blood pressure.

Generally, having any one of these conditions predisposes a person to have the others too. And the higher the number of these conditions a person has, the higher the health risks.

What are the Causes of Metabolic Syndrome?

As is quite apparent, there are a number of causes, acting together, which results in metabolic syndrome. While some of these can usually be controlled, others cannot. For example, some of the factors like obesity and overweight as well as the lack of exercise or physical activity can be controlled.

However, some of the factors that cannot be controlled are genetics and aging. The chances of metabolic syndrome developing increases with advancing age. Although, according to some studies, it has been shown that due to faulty dietary habits and a more sedentary lifestyle, about 1 in 8 schoolchild has up to 3 of the factors that contribute to developing metabolic syndrome. While some other studies have proven that children who have metabolic syndrome have a tendency of developing cardiovascular disease when they become adults.

Also, the propensity to develop insulin resistance is linked to genetics, and insulin resistance is one of the major factors of metabolic syndrome. Some scientists think that this is the reason that race also seems to be one of the factors, with Asians and Hispanics being more susceptible to developing metabolic syndrome compared to other races.

Another cause of metabolic syndrome developing seems to be if there is a history of Type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes, the diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, running in families. Some of the other conditions that scientists are studying in order to determine whether they are associated with metabolic syndrome are:

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome, wherein there is a tendency of developing ovarian cysts
• Fatty liver, wherein there are high levels of fats like triglycerides in the liver
• Sleep apnea, wherein sleep is disrupted due to breathing problems
• Gallstones

What is the Treatment for Metabolic Syndrome?

One of the first methods of treating metabolic syndrome is making healthy lifestyle changes such as incorporating exercise, losing weight, improving the diet, as well as quitting smoking. Medicinal drugs such as those prescribed for controlling low levels of HDL, high levels of triglycerides, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure may also be recommended in order to manage individual factors. Blood clots can be kept in check with the help of aspirin, on the prescription of a medical health professional.

Divergence of Opinion about Metabolic Syndrome

There is a divergence of opinion amongst medical professionals about the definition of metabolic syndrome or even if there is any such distinctive medical condition at all. Metabolic syndrome has been in discussion, along with the combination of the risk factors for decades, with it being given several names such as insulin resistance syndrome, syndrome X, and metabolic syndrome X.