Metabolic syndrome or smetabolic syndrome is a group of health disorders that occur together. These disorders include an increase in high blood pressure, fat accumulation in the abdomen, as well as an increase in blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
A person is said to have metabolic syndrome if he experiences at least three of the five conditions, namely hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, high triglycerides, diabetes, and obesity.
If it lasts in the long term, metabolic syndrome can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, the development of metabolic syndrome can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle every day.
SymptomMetabolic Syndrome
As explained above, the metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders that occur together. Therefore, the symptoms that appear are symptoms of the five conditions. These symptoms include:
- bulge belly
- Often feel thirsty
- Increased frequency of urination
- Body tired easily
- Headache
- aches
- Hard to breathe
Often a person does not realize that he has metabolic syndrome, because the symptoms do not appear or are considered something that usually happens.
Be aware of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and high triglycerides with regular check-ups with the doctor, so that each disease can be detected early.
When to go to the doctor
Check your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar regularly, even if there are no symptoms of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. If you are diagnosed with any of the three conditions, see your doctor regularly to monitor the progress of the disease and evaluate treatment, as well as to prevent complications.
Visit a nutritionist if you feel that you are underweight and your stomach looks bloated. Your nutritionist will draw up a diet and exercise plan that you should do.
Heart attack and stroke are complications of metabolic syndrome that can occur suddenly. Immediately go to the hospital emergency room if symptoms of a heart attack and stroke appear, such as:
- Sudden weakness of facial or leg muscles.
- Impaired speech and understanding of speech.
- Loss of balance and coordination between limbs.
- Severe headache accompanied by vomiting.
- A feeling of pressure or squeezing in the chest, which radiates to the jaw, neck, and back.
- Nauseous, heartburn, indigestion, and abdominal pain.
- A cold sweat.
Causes and Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome
The exact cause of metabolic syndrome is not known. However, experts suspect that metabolic syndrome is influenced by a decrease in the body's sensitivity to the hormone insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels. In this condition, the effectiveness of the hormone insulin decreases.
Some factors that can increase a person's risk of developing metabolic syndrome are:
- Unhealthy diet by eating too many fatty foods and sweet foods.
- Not exercising regularly.
- Have a smoking habit.
- Increasing age.
- Have a family affected by metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic Syndrome Diagnosis
The doctor will start the examination by asking about the symptoms experienced by the patient, including symptoms of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Then, the doctor will perform a physical examination by measuring the patient's waist circumference and blood pressure, as well as running a blood test to confirm the diagnosis.
A person can be said to have metabolic syndrome if they have at least 3 of the 5 following criteria:
- A large waist circumference, which is more than 90 cm in men and more than 80 cm in women.
- HDL or 'good cholesterol' levels in the blood are less than 50 mg/dL.
- Triglyceride levels in the blood more than 150 mg/dL.
- Consistent blood pressure at 140/90 mmHg or more.
- Fasting blood sugar level of 100 mg/dL or higher.
Pengobatan Metabolic Syndrome
Because metabolic syndrome is a group of diseases, the method of treatment is to treat each of these diseases. This treatment is done with the aim of reducing the risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
Lifestyle changes
The first way to deal with metabolic syndrome is to live a healthy lifestyle, for example by:
- Regular light exercise, at least 30 minutes every day.
- Lose weight until you reach your ideal body weight.
- Eat high-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Limit intake of salt, sugar, saturated fat, and alcoholic beverages.
- Quit smoking.
- Manage stress well.
Drugs
If lifestyle changes are not able to cope with the patient's condition, the doctor will prescribe a number of drugs, such as:
- Diuretics, beta blockers, or drugs ACE inhibitor to treat high blood pressure.
- Statin drugs, such as atorvastatin, to treat high cholesterol.
- Diabetes medications, such as metformin.
Operation
Bariatric surgery or bariatric surgery performed if the patient's weight has not been successfully reduced by other means. In addition to losing weight, this method can also reduce the patient's risk of having a heart attack. Some conditions that require bariatric surgery are:
- Patients with a body mass index (BMI) above 40.
- Patients with BMI between 35-39, accompanied by diabetes or hypertension.
To support the success of bariatric surgery, patients still need to have a strong desire to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Complications of Metabolic Syndrome
People with metabolic syndrome are at risk for serious complications, such as stroke and heart disease. Both complications are triggered by the process of atherosclerosis or plaque buildup in blood vessels. Atherosclerosis makes blood vessels narrow and harden, until they become blocked.
Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome can be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle everyday. Things that can be done are:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes every day.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.
- Limit intake of salt and saturated fat.
- Quit smoking.