What is the exact definition of metabolic syndrome?
Dr. Ballantyne: As always, the devil is in the details. The ATP III set up some criteria with regard to waist circumference, >40 inches for men, >35 inches for women; glucose—the criterion was ³110 mg/dL but has been reduced to ³100 mg/dL, because that is the recognized definition of impaired fasting glucose; triglycerides >150 mg/dL; HDL-C <40 mg/dL for men and <50 mg/dL for women; and blood pressure ³130/³85 mm Hg (Table). Notice that the defining blood pressure level for metabolic syndrome is lower than the level of 140/90 mm Hg or greater that is commonly used to define hypertension. The problem is whether using these continuous variables and cut points is the best way to assess these patients. So, some questions were raised: 1) Are these really valid cut points? 2)When we talk about metabolic syndrome, are we talking about a disease? 3) And another issue that came up in the position paper by the American Diabetes Association (ADA): Does the metabolic syndrome definition really pro
