Understanding & Diagnosing Metabolic Syndrome: Symptoms & Risk Factors

Metabolic syndrome is a serious condition that increases your risk for serious life threatening illnesses. Patients with metabolic syndrome have a higher chance of developing heart disease, stroke and other medical conditions. In order to prevent these illnesses, you need to get metabolic syndrome diagnosed early on.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider your weight. Obesity is a key component of metabolic syndrome. Doctors will be particularly concerned with the weight that you carry around your waistline.

• 2

  Check your blood pressure. High blood pressure is also a symptom of metabolic syndrome.

• 3

  Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any of the symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome. The doctor needs to know your weight, blood pressure and take a look at any blood work you may have recently had done.

• 4

  Get your cholesterol levels measured. The doctor needs to measure the levels of both the HDL and LDL in your blood.

• 5

  Have blood work done to measure your blood sugar. You have to fast for this type of blood work. The test is used to see your level of resistance to insulin.

• 6

  Allow your doctor to analyze the results of all tests performed. After the doctor orders the blood work and considers your weight and blood pressure, he will let you know if you have metabolic syndrome.