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 January 23, 2002 |
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Newly Identified Syndrome Demonstrates that Lifestyle Is a Major Factor for Heart Disease The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) has identified a new syndrome that they say is a significant risk factor in the premature deaths of approximately 47 million American adults. The most common cause of death within the syndrome is heart disease. Reported on January 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the condition has been called metabolic syndrome, and it has been cultivated by the huge increase in obesity and the dramatic decline in physical activity among Americans. Researchers said it affects one out of three people between the ages of 40 and 60. "This syndrom is a manifestation of these two epidemics of obesity and inactivity, and it emphasizes that as a country we're going to have to come to grips with these issues," saaid the CDCP's Dr. Earl Ford, who reported the findings. Metabolic syndrome consists of five risk factors, which when taken alone do not necessarily pose a health hazard. When three or more of the factors occur together, however, they are far more dangerous. For example, a person with "high normal" blood pressure might not be at as high a risk of metabolic syndrome than if two or more other risk factros are added. "We call these multiple marginal risk factors," said Dr. Scott M. Grundy, who contrinuted to the study. "Each individual one by itself doesn't contribute too much, but they do add up, indicating that there's more trouble there than meets the eye." Studies in the U.S. and Italy show that people with the disease are twice as likely to die of any cause than people who do not have the syndrome, and that it increases the chances of developing heart disease by 2.4 times, Dr. Grundy said. "The prevalence of this condition should be a wake-up call to Americans that we really need to start being serious about our weight, what we're eating and our activities," said Dr. Robert Rosenson, director of Northwestern University Medical School;s Preventive Cardiology Center. "It's not a one-time recommendation of ‘lose twenty pounds and come see me in a year from now.' It requires continued vigilance and a partnership with health care professionals, not only physicians but dietitians and exercise trainers." To be dianosed with metabolic syndrome, one must have three or more of the following symptoms:
"This is a cultural disease," said Grundy, who chaired the National Institutes of Health committee that drew up the criteria for the syndrome. "We want people to recognize that they have a problem when they have this syndrome and that they need to pay more attention to it." Dr. Ford said that the health insurance industry has failed to recognize the root causes of the metabolic syndrome and pay for weight reduction and exercise programs. "Lack of reimbursement for weight management and physical activity interventions constitute a major barrier," he said. Dr. David Faxon, chief of cardiology at the University of Chicago and president of the America Heart Association, said that specialists have been aware of the syndrome, but did not know how common it was. "We need to be more aware of it," he said. "We especially need to focus on those in the highest risk groups with preventive measures like lifestyle changes, diet, exercise and control of other risk factors. The prevalence of the syndrome increases with age, jumping from 6.7 percent among people 20 through 28 to 43.5 percent of those 60 through 69. |