Doctor Explains Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of different conditions, and the risk of being diagnosed with it increases with age.

According to Jonathan D. Rich, D.O., a primary care doctor with Mercy Personal Physicians Downtown in Baltimore, there are five criteria, and people have to meet three of the following:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides levels
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Large waist circumference
• Elevated fasting glucose level

"Oftentimes, they don't have symptoms at all. So, we as providers are always looking for this," Dr. Rich said, adding that screening is simple.

"When you go into the doctor's office, they take your vital signs, and get your weight, of course, your blood pressure. And then, we often will do routine lab work on you. And, with all those components, we're actually probably looking to see if you have metabolic syndrome with any of these, because majority of people are not going to have symptoms of any of these," Dr. Rich explained.

Getting one's numbers to normal levels can help control or prevent metabolic syndrome from worsening.

Dr. Rich encouraged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, like following the Mediterranean diet and exercising regularly.

View Mercy primary care physician Dr. Jonathan Rich’s interview regarding metabolic syndrome.