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Query: UMLS:C0311277 (abdominal obesity)
 2,792 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Metabolic syndrome includes a clustering of metabolic derangements that cause affected subjects to have an increased risk for developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and, according to recent epidemiologic studies, chronic kidney disease. The present review discusses four definitions of metabolic syndrome published by different national and international committees. In an effort to bridge the differences existent in those classifications, a unified definition that recognizes the increased biologic activity of the upper visceral fatty tissue and the strong association of abdominal obesity as a leading part of metabolic syndrome is proposed herein. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is reserved for pre-diabetic patients who share the risk of becoming diabetic or developing cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease.
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PMID:Definition of the metabolic syndrome: current proposals and controversies. 1635 10

A hypothetical role of glucocorticoids in human obesity has been suggested since the abdominal obesity phenotype and syndromes of endogenous or exogenous hypercortisolism share several clinical, metabolic, and cardiovascular similarities. An emerging body of evidence indicates that both neuroendocrine dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well as peripheral alterations of cortisol metabolism may play a role in the pathophysiology of abdominal obesity. Major alterations of the HPA axis in vivo may be identified in different ways. They include evaluation of hormone concentrations: (a) in basal conditions, in blood, urine, or saliva samples; (b) during dynamic studies following stimulation with different neuropeptides or psychological stress challenges, or suppression with inhibiting agents of the HPA axis at different levels; and (c) after mixed meals or meals containing different nutrient compositions. In addition, alteration of peripheral cortisol metabolism can be detected by direct measurement of cortisol metabolites in urine, although this is a matter of more complex investigation. Alterations of the HPA axis in abdominal obesity are associated with insulin resistance, which suggests a direct responsibility of these hormonal alterations in the susceptibility of affected patients to develop both metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. According to available data, no single marker probably has the power to detect subtle alterations of the HPA axis in conditions, such as the abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome. On the contrary, they indicate the need for multiple parameters. At present, evaluation of urinary free cortisol, particularly during the night-time, and salivary-free cortisol appear to be promising for these purposes, whereas dynamic tests should be reserved for specific clinical settings, involving well-characterized patients.
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PMID:The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in obesity and the metabolic syndrome. 1714 36