Contents:
- Medical Video: Metabolic Syndrome
- What is the metabolic syndrome?
- Signs of the metabolic syndrome
- Who is at risk of developing metabolic syndrome?
- What should you do if you have the signs above?
Medical Video: Metabolic Syndrome
Many people underestimate certain health conditions such as elevated blood sugar or high cholesterol levels. Although the increase in blood sugar levels is not necessarily a diabetes, you must be vigilant. Because, if blood sugar levels rise accompanied by other conditions such as cholesterol and blood pressure rises, you run the risk of metabolic syndrome. What is the metabolic syndrome and what are the signs? Come on, find out the full information below.
What is the metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a number of conditions such as increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar, excess fat in the body around the waist, and an unusual increase in cholesterol levels. This condition can eventually trigger diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and death.
Signs of the metabolic syndrome
To get the diagnosis, you must fulfill three of the five risk factors or symptoms below.
- Central obesity (people with distended bellies or waist circumference above normal). The greater the waist circumference, the risk of hypertension and heart disease increases. While normally, a man's waistline is around 90 centimeters (cm) and a woman is 80 cm.
- The content triglyceride ≥ 150 mg / dL or currently on treatment hypertriglyceride.
- HDL levels or good male cholesterol lower than 40 mg / dL and women lower than 50 mg / dL.
- High blood pressure (hypertension) with blood pressure values systolic ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmHg, or currently in the treatment of hypertension.
- High fasting blood sugar, ie ≥ 100 mg / dL or currently in the treatment of diabetes.
You can find out the five symptoms above by doing a complete blood test.You may also experience symptoms that are typical of each condition. For example, frequent thirst and frequent urination if your blood sugar is high or headaches and irregular heartbeat if your blood pressure is high.
Who is at risk of developing metabolic syndrome?
Many factors can cause metabolic syndrome, but the biggest risk factors that cause it are lack of physical activity (exercise) and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the hormone insulin is unable to process glucose (sugar) in the blood properly, resulting in an increase in glucose levels. This condition is known as diabetes mellitus.
Other conditions that contribute to the risk of metabolic syndrome are aging, genetic factors (heredity), family history of disease with diabetes and / or heart disease, as well as medical history Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in women.
What should you do if you have the signs above?
Consulting a doctor immediately after getting the results of a complete blood test is the right step to deal with metabolic syndrome. Your doctor may prescribe certain medications that you need such as blood pressure-lowering drugs, insulin injections, cholesterol drugs, and others. Then, follow the advice of your doctor and health personnel to prevent the condition from worsening.
In addition, you are also strongly advised to make various lifestyle changes. For example with the things below.
- Applying a healthy diet. For example by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, reduce fast food and packaged foods.
- Keep ideal weight as measured by body mass index (body mass index or BMI). Calculate whether your current weight is ideal with a calculator inside this link or on bit./ly/indeksmassatubuh.
- Increase physical activity by exercising regularly.
- Stop smoking and limit consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Routinely check blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels and control the doctor.
