Diagnosis

Acupuncture Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Androgen Anxiety Disorders Asthma Atherosclerosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Bacterial Vaginosis Biofeedback Bipolar Disorder Birth Control Pills Blood Donation and Transfusion Breast Augmentation and Reduction Breast Cancer Breastfeeding Breast Reconstruction Caregiving Cervical Cancer Chiropractic Chlamydia Cholesterol Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinical Trials Colon Cancer Contraception Depression Diabetes Dry Eye Syndrome Eating Disorders Endometriosis Epilepsy Estrogen Fibroids Fibromyalgia Fitness Flu/Colds Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Genetic Testing Genital Herpes Glaucoma Gonorrhea Health Insurance Heart Disease Hepatitis High Blood Pressure HIV/AIDS Homeopathy Human Papillomavirus Hypnosis Hysterectomy Incontinence Infertility Irritable Bowel Syndrome Legal Health Tools Liposuction Lung Cancer Lupus Macular Degeneration Medication Safety Menopause Menstrual Disorders Metabolic Syndrome Migraine Multiple Sclerosis Naturopathy Nonsurgical Aesthetic Procedures Nutrition Obesity Ocular Allergies Oral Health Osteoarthritis Osteopathic Medicine Osteoporosis Ovarian Cancer Overactive Bladder Pain Management Pelvic Organ Prolapse Pelvic Pain Peripheral Arterial Disease Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Pregnancy Premenstrual Syndrome Preparing for Surgery Progesterone Rheumatoid Arthritis Schizophrenia Scleroderma Sexual Dysfunction Sinusitis Sjogren's Syndrome Skin Cancer Skin Health Sleep Disorders Smoking Stress Stroke Substance Abuse Tai Chi Teen Health Thyroid Disorders Trichomoniasis Urinary Tract Conditions Urinary Tract Infection Uterine Cancer Varicose Veins Violence Against Women Vulvodynia Weight Management Yeast Infections Yoga

Heart & Home: Heart Health Guide Learn how to lower your risk of heart disease in the NWHRC's Heart Health Guide. The Heart & Home campaign is sponsored by Bed Bath & Beyond, REDBOOK magazine and the NWHRC: Partnering to help women get heart healthy.

Visit the Metabolic Syndrome Health Center Order free publications and access the following tools: Are You an Apple or a Pear? Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

Metabolic syndrome is a very complicated condition to diagnose. The only visible symptom of metabolic syndrome is being overweight, but that is no guarantee that you'll have the condition. And you can have metabolic syndrome even if you aren't overweight.

There are at least six definitions for metabolic syndrome. The primary one used in the U.S. comes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The chart below shows the differences among the definitions.

The WHO, for instance, requires evidence of insulin resistance or diabetes to make a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, while the IDF requires a certain degree of abdominal obesity. The NHLBI, however, considers the five components equal in importance. The WHO's definition is designed to identify people at greater risk for diabetes; while the NHLBI's definition is designed to identify those with greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

In the U.S., however, there's general agreement among medical professionals to use the NHLBI definition, in part because it's so difficult to test individuals for insulin resistance in the typical health care provider's office.

The reality, however, is that any one of the five risk factors increases your risk of cardiovascular disease whether you have metabolic syndrome or not. So whether you have one or all five of the components, you and your health care professional need to work together to reduce that risk and any others you may have.

To diagnose metabolic syndrome, your health care professional should measure the five components involved in the condition: blood pressure, blood triglyceride level, HDL cholesterol level, waist circumference and fasting blood glucose level. You will need to fast for at least 12 hours before the blood tests.

If you have polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, you should ask your health care professional to evaluate you for metabolic syndrome. This condition affects 10 to 20 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age. Typical symptoms include irregular or absent menstruation, obesity and hair on the face and other parts of the body where women typically don't have much hair, a condition called hirsutism. Women with PCOS also often have high levels of testosterone and often have trouble getting pregnant.

Some research finds that women with PCOS are 11 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome. What we don't know is whether the components of metabolic syndrome cause the PCOS or vice versa. But women with PCOS tend to be overweight, have insulin resistance, have high levels of fasting blood glucose and, in fact, a much higher risk overall of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.