Initially, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.

Diagnostic Criteria

The National Cholesterol Education Program offers these criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome. With this criteria, you have metabolic syndrome if you have three out of the five conditions.

Central Obesity

Central obesity occurs when extra fat tissue is found in the waist area. This has been found to have greater metabolic consequences. Central obesity may be defined as:

  • In men—waist measurement greater than or equal to 40 inches (102 cm)
  • In women—waist measurement greater than or equal to 35 inches (89 cm)
Elevated Fasting Blood Sugar

When your body cannot appropriately control the levels of sugar in the blood, impaired fasting glucose eventually occurs. This is defined as a fasting glucose level greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L). People previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes meet this criteria.

Elevated Blood Pressure

Elevated blood pressure is defined as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/85 mm Hg.

Elevated Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a kind of fat found in your blood. This is defined as fasting blood triglycerides greater than or equal to 150 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L).

Reduced HDL

HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. This breaks down and removes cholesterol from the body. It is sometimes referred to as the good cholesterol. This is defined as:

  • In men—HDL levels less than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)
  • In women—HDL levels less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L)
Diagnostic Tests

There are a number of tests that your doctor may do. Examples include:

Tests Done in Your Doctor's Office
  • Waist circumference—a measure around your hips and belly button
  • Blood pressure
Lab Tests
Fasting Glucose Test

Your doctor will ask you to fast (not eat) after dinner the night before the test. The next morning, he will take a blood sample from your arm to test it for glucose levels.

Tests for Cholesterol Levels

These tests are also called lipid profile tests. Your doctor will take a sample of your blood and check your:

  • Total cholesterol
  • Serum triglyceride levels
  • LDL cholesterol levels—LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein and is the bad cholesterol.
  • HDL cholesterol levels test