Table 1.

Definitions of Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS)

Type 2 Diabetes

American Diabetes Association (ADA)

Hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5%, OR

Fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dl, OR

2-hour plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl, OR

Random plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl, in the presence of symptoms of hyperglycemia

Former World Health Organization (WHO) (53)

Fasting plasma glucose ≥ 140 mg/dl, OR

2-hour plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl, OR

Random plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl, in the presences of symptoms of hyperglycemia

MetS

Adult Treatment Panel III (54) classifies individuals as having MetS if ≥ 3 of the following are present:

1) abdominal obesity, indicated by waist circumference ≥102 cm in men or ≥88 cm in women

2) hypertriglyceridemia, indicated by triglyceride level ≥ 150 mg/dL (1.70 mmol/L)

3) low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, indicated by a level <40 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) in men or <50 (1.30 mmol/L) in women

4) blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mm Hg or drug treatment for hypertension

5) fasting plasma glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or a pre-existing diagnosis of diabetes

While the exact criteria vary across organizations, definitions often include a combination of lipid abnormalities, blood pressure elevations, central obesity, and glucose elevations (54–56). Comparisons of these slightly different MetS definitions have demonstrated that they are generally equally predictive of incident CVD (5).