What is metabolic syndrome?

Mets is one of the most common metabolic disorders (syndromes), a set of symptoms associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes (DMT2). It is characterized by the coexistence of the following symptoms: glucose intolerance, obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure.

Several metabolic disorders which are occurring simultaneously in one person make the metabolic syndrome. According to the guidelines of the IDF, for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, three criteria must be met: abdominal obesity, together with any two of the four listed metabolic disorders:

– Abdominal obesity (waist circumference defined according to ethnic specifics; if BMI> 30, it is not necessary to measure waist circumference);

– The concentration of triglycerides in serum ≥ 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or initiated treatment of previously diagnosed hypertriglyceridemia;

– The concentration of HDL in serum < 1.03 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) in men or < 1.29 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) in women or initiated treatment of previously diagnosed dyslipidemia;

– Systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmHg or initiated treatment of previously diagnosed hypertension;

– Fasting glucose concentration ≥ 5.6 mmol/L (100mg/dL), or previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 2. If the fasting glucose concentration is equivalent to 5.6 mmol/L (100mg/dL), it is recommended to do so called oGTT (oral glucose tolerance test), although this is not necessary for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.

According to the World Health Organization, in Croatia in 2011, 85% of deaths was caused by chronic non communicable diseases, while the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is higher than 30% in the general population of Croatian (WHO 2011). Approximately 25% of adult European population has the metabolic syndrome and its prevalence varies depending on the age, geographical location and characteristics of the population. In recent years, there is a concern about the increasing occurrence of risk factors for the incidence of obesity and MetS in children and adolescents. In developed countries, MetS was found in 24% to 51% of young overweight people, while the prevalence of these diseases is on the rise in very young children. There is a general lack of data on the frequency of MetS among children and young people in Croatia.