Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of five medical conditions, including:

These conditions increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Diagnosis is based on the presence of any three of these five medical conditions. These are detected thorough physical exam and a battery of tests.

Treatment of metabolic syndrome is aimed at preventing heart diseases. Your doctor first works on lowering your high LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and blood pressure and managing diabetes. Treatment involves making lifestyle changes such as:

When these changes do not help control the condition, your doctor usually prescribes medication to lower high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels. These medications should be taken on a regular basis.

Metabolic syndrome should be managed lifelong to avert serious health problems.