Metabolic Syndrome: Three Out of Five

Metabolic syndrome is less a single disease name than a condition in which several metabolic risk factors occur together in one person. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 1 in 4 adults aged 19 and older (24.9%) in Korea, and about 47.0% of those aged 65 and older, meet the criteria.

The five diagnostic criteria

• Abdominal obesity (Korean criteria): waist circumference of 90 cm or more for men, 85 cm or more for women
• High blood pressure: 130/85 mmHg or higher, or on medication
• High fasting blood glucose: 100 mg/dL or higher, or on medication
• High triglycerides: 150 mg/dL or higher, or on medication
• Low HDL cholesterol: below 40 mg/dL for men, below 50 mg/dL for women

If three or more of these apply, it is considered metabolic syndrome. In Korea, the U.S. NCEP criteria are often used, with only the abdominal obesity criterion adjusted for Koreans.

Check your metabolic syndrome risk