Metabolic syndrome x is a constellation of common disorders that produce a high risk of cardiac disease. Metabolic syndrome isn't a disease, but is a cluster of disorders of your body's metabolism - including high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess body weight and abnormal cholesterol levels - that make you more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease or stroke. Each of these disorders is by itself a risk factor for other diseases. In combination, though, these disorders dramatically boost your chances of developing potentially life-threatening illnesses.

Doctors have talked about this constellation of risk factors for years, and have called it many names, including syndrome X, the deadly quartet and insulin resistance syndrome. But several studies support what doctors have suspected all along - this syndrome is common and it's becoming more prevalent.

Treatment

The primary goal of treatment for metabolic syndrome is to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Usually, this can be accomplished with an aggressive regimen of self-care strategies focusing on diet and exercise.

You don't need to battle metabolic syndrome on your own, though. Your doctor may routinely monitor your weight and your blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels to ensure that lifestyle modifications are working. He or she may also prescribe medications to control the syndrome's individual risk factors, including:

• Weight-loss drugs. Some doctors may prescribe weight-loss drugs as part of a complete weight-loss plan that also includes a healthy diet and exercise. The two weight-loss medications most commonly prescribed are sibutramine (Meridia) and orlistat (Xenical).

• Insulin sensitizers. Doctors use thiazolidinediones and metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR) to decrease insulin resistance in people with diabetes. These medications may help improve insulin metabolism in people with metabolic syndrome.

• Aspirin. Your doctor may prescribe aspirin to reduce your risk of heart attack.

• Medications to lower blood pressure. The major types of medications used to control high blood pressure include diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and beta blockers.

• Medications to regulate cholesterol. Medications such as niacin, statins and fibrates can improve your cholesterol in the following ways: they can reduce your level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol, increase your level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol, and decrease the level of triglycerides — another "bad" component of cholesterol.

 

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