The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: diabetes and prediabetes, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
- A quarter of the world’s adults have metabolic syndrome.
- People with metabolic syndrome are twice as likely to die from, and three times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared with people without the syndrome.
- People with metabolic syndrome have a five–fold greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Up to 80% of the 200 million people with diabetes globally will die of cardiovascular disease.
- This puts metabolic syndrome and diabetes way ahead of HIV/AIDS in morbidity and mortality terms yet the problem is not as well recognised.
Earlier diagnosis is needed to stop this global time bomb. The new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome provides physicians with the tools to quickly identify those at risk and also to compare the impact across nations and ethnic groups. The new IDF worldwide definition was developed during a unique consensus workshop.
Source: International Diabetes Federation