Why Older Adults Need Regular Metabolic Risk Screening

Revised Endocrine Society clinical practice guidelines on identifying adults at higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes considers metabolic risk to mirror the latest findings on blood pressure and blood fats, reports Medical News Today . As detailed in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism , the update emphasizes measures to detect and lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), rather than defining metabolic syndrome. The guidelines advise doctors to regularly check blood pressure, waist size, blood sugar, blood fats, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, in addition to usual heart disease risk evaluations. Individuals with three or more risk factors are at metabolic risk and have greater odds of developing type 2 diabetes and ASCVD. Doctors are recommended to screen persons with one or two risk factors every three years, and those with three or more on a more frequent basis. The guidelines also indicate that persons at metabolic risk should undergo "global assessment of 10-year risk for either coronary heart disease or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease" to guide decisions on appropriate medical and drug therapies.