Risks and secondary illnesses

More than a question of appearance

Through the interplay of the individual components of metabolic syndrome, those affected keep gaining weight. Many find the steady weight gain a heavy burden for aesthetic reasons alone. But belly fat is far more than a question of appearance: together with the four metabolic disorders of metabolic syndrome – often called the “deadly quartet” – it impairs energy metabolism and can thus cause numerous secondary illnesses. Here we introduce the most common.

Cardiovascular disease

Metabolic syndrome carries many health risks; the greatly increased risk of heart attack and stroke is particularly significant. All four metabolic disorders can lead to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and thus considerably impair the cardiovascular system. Exhaustion, weakness and frequent dizziness are therefore among the first signs.

If arteriosclerosis progresses, circulatory disorders of the legs, angina pectoris (attack-like pain in the chest), coronary heart disease and breathlessness can occur. If the heart no longer receives enough blood, a heart attack can follow; if the same happens in the brain, a stroke.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, is one of the five possible hallmarks of metabolic syndrome and can lead to serious secondary illnesses. Too much sugar not only narrows the arteries and thus promotes cardiovascular disease, but also attacks the nerves: one in ten people with diabetes has what is known as neuropathy, nerve damage. Diabetes can also lead to anything from minor eye and kidney damage to blindness and kidney failure.

Diabetes also impairs wound healing and increases the risk of inflammation. This shows itself particularly often in the so-called diabetic foot, which becomes inflamed and no longer heals. Even those affected without raised blood sugar levels should keep an eye on the risk of diabetes, because excess weight is a common trigger of type 2 diabetes: with a BMI above 30, the risk rises to 30 times that of people of normal weight.

Organ damage

The arterial high blood pressure that often accompanies metabolic syndrome can cause organ damage as well as cardiovascular disease. For example, high blood pressure can narrow the blood vessels of the eye and lead to hypertensive retinopathy, which makes itself felt through declining visual acuity or gaps in the visual field (scotoma). In the long term, high blood pressure can also damage the fine blood vessels of the kidneys. Chronic kidney failure is therefore often the result of untreated high blood pressure.