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.