A cluster of risks that travel together

Clinically: Metabolic syndrome · also insulin resistance syndrome, syndrome X

metabolic MONDO MONDO:0011565 unverified

This describes what this condition typically looks like. It is not a diagnosis and cannot tell you whether you have it -- patterns overlap, results vary between labs, and the same numbers mean different things in different people. Diagnosis usually rests on Triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, Glucose, interpreted alongside symptoms and history rather than read off a report.

unverified These explanations are written to be easy to read and have not yet been checked against a source. The ranges and measurement notes on this page show theirs.

definition unverified

Not one disease, but a group of findings that tend to show up together. High blood sugar. High triglycerides. Low HDL. Raised blood pressure. Weight carried around the middle. Together they raise heart risk more than any one of them would on its own.

A cluster of conditions (also called insulin resistance syndrome) that together raise the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke, present when three or more of the following occur: waist circumference above 40 inches (men) or 35 inches (women); blood pressure consistently 130/85 mmHg or higher; fasting glucose 100 mg/dL or higher, or treatment for high blood sugar; HDL cholesterol below 40 mg/dL (men) or 50 mg/dL (women); triglycerides consistently above 150 mg/dL.

caveats unverified

Blood pressure and waist measurement are part of the definition, and this app does not yet record either. What it shows you here is the blood-test portion only.

No clinical version written yet.

The typical lab pattern

What the diagnosis rests on

The results a diagnosis is actually made on.

Triglycerides	high	ref ≤ 150	One of the five criteria (three are needed): triglycerides consistently above 150 mg/dL. These are criteria for a risk-factor cluster, not a diagnosis of a single disease.
HDL cholesterol	low	ref ≥ 40	One of the five criteria (three are needed): HDL below 40 mg/dL in men or below 50 mg/dL in women. These are criteria for a risk-factor cluster, not a diagnosis of a single disease.
Glucose	high	ref ≤ 99	One of the five criteria (three are needed): fasting blood sugar of 100 mg/dL or higher, or taking medicine for high blood sugar. These are criteria for a risk-factor cluster, not a diagnosis of a single disease.

Consistent with it

Fits the picture, but not enough on its own.

Hemoglobin A1c	high	ref ≤ 5.7	Often raised, but not part of the standard criteria, which use fasting glucose. Using HbA1c instead identifies a partly different group of people.
Urate	high	—	Higher urate levels are linked with metabolic syndrome, even within the normal range.
Alanine aminotransferase	high	—	Raised liver enzymes and fatty liver are among the effects linked to metabolic syndrome.
C-reactive protein	high	—	Often raised, reflecting low-grade inflammation; it rises with the number of syndrome features.