NHLBI Media Availability: Diagnosis
and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome, An American
Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
and the American Heart Association have issued a joint
scientific statement on the diagnosis and management
of metabolic syndrome, a growing public health problem
affecting over 26 percent of adults, or over 50 million
Americans. The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of
conditions that are risk factors for heart disease.
When these conditions occur together in an individual
- as defined in the statement – long term risk
for heart disease increases even more. The new statement
reviews and synthesizes the latest scientific evidence
on the syndrome to help guide physicians in its diagnosis
and treatment.
“Diagnosis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome:
A Scientific Statement for Health Care Professionals,”
will be published online in the September 12, 2005
issue of Circulation: Journal of the American
Heart Association.
Dr. James Cleeman, coordinator of the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) National
Cholesterol Education Program, and Co-Chair of the
panel that developed the statement, is available to
comment on the statement and the public health importance
of the metabolic syndrome. He can discuss the need
for prompt diagnosis and the focus on lifestyle treatment
– weight control and increased physical activity
– to lower risk factors and reduce the long-term
risk for heart disease.
To schedule interviews, contact the NHLBI Communications
Office at 301-496-4236.
NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the Federal Government’s primary agency
for biomedical and behavioral research. NIH is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NHLBI press releases and fact sheets, including information
on cholesterol, can be found online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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