Metabolic syndrome

We understand that dealing with weight issues can be hard. At Aurora, we focus on you as a person, not your weight. Everyone you see, from our specialists to our support staff, will treat you with care and respect. We’re here to help you control and even reverse metabolic syndrome.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome, sometimes called metabolic disease, is a group of related disorders. A serious health condition, metabolic syndrome can lead to cardiovascular disease and having a heart attack or stroke.

The underlying causes of metabolic syndrome include being overweight and physically inactive. Your chances of developing the condition also can increase as you age and are higher if you have a family history of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome symptoms

Doctors look at certain measurements as signs of metabolic syndrome. You may be considered to have metabolic syndrome if you have three or more of these criteria:

• Large waistline, meaning a waist measurement of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women, but this can vary depending on your body type
• High blood glucose, meaning your fasting blood sugar is 100 mg/dl or higher, or if you already have diabetes
• High blood pressure (hypertension), with a measurement of 130/85, or if you’re already being treated for high blood pressure
• High triglycerides of 150 mg/dl or higher, or if you’re already being treated for high triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) of below 40 mg/dl for men or below 50 mg/dl for women

Metabolic syndrome diagnosis

Fortunately, metabolic syndrome can be controlled with diligent screening and treatment. Your doctor may talk to you about metabolic syndrome during an office visit or suggest additional tests if you seem to be developing contributing factors such as a large waistline.

If you show signs of metabolic syndrome, we may order blood tests to check your blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as other measurements.

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Metabolic syndrome treatment

The good news is that you can reverse metabolic syndrome and significantly reduce your risk of developing heart problems. The first place to start may be to look at how your habits affect your health.

We may recommend:

• Health and lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier foods, increasing your daily physical activity, losing weight and quitting smoking
• Medication to control your blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol

Are you at risk for heart disease?

Knowing your risk factors of heart disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. – can help you lower your chances of developing it. Our heart health quiz estimates your risk, determines which of your risk factors are controllable and gives you an idea what to do next based on your results.

Take the heart health quiz