Initially, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.
Diagnostic Criteria
The National Cholesterol Education Program offers these criteria for diagnosing
metabolic syndrome. With this criteria, you have metabolic syndrome if you have three out of the five conditions.
Central Obesity
Central
obesity
occurs when extra fat tissue is found in the waist area. This has been found to have greater metabolic consequences. Central obesity may be defined as:
- In men—waist measurement greater than or equal to 40 inches (102 cm)
- In women—waist measurement greater than or equal to 35 inches (89 cm)
Elevated Fasting Blood Sugar
When your body cannot appropriately control the levels of sugar in the blood, impaired fasting glucose eventually occurs. This is defined as a fasting glucose level greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L). People previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes meet this criteria.
Elevated Blood Pressure
Elevated blood pressure
is defined as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/85 mm Hg.
Elevated Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a kind of fat found in your blood. This is defined as fasting blood triglycerides greater than or equal to 150 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L).
Reduced HDL
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. This breaks down and removes cholesterol from the body. It is sometimes referred to as the good cholesterol. This is defined as:
- In men—HDL levels less than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)
- In women—HDL levels less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L)