The Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the combination of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and increased abdominal fat, that lead to health disasters like heart attacks and strokes. Indians are at very high risk for this particular disease.

Between mid-20s to early 30s

This is usually the time a young woman may get married or choose to have a baby. This is a good time to see a physician for a complete physical examination. There are no specific tests that are recommended unless you have a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure or have had a parent dying of an early heart attack or stroke.

Blood test for Anaemia: 70% of Indian women are anaemic. It could be borderline anaemia (10-11 g/dL) where you go through life without any issues or it could be severe anaemia where the haemoglobin levels drop below 8 g/dL. Severe anaemia can be life threatening for the expectant mother and her child. Severe anaemia during childbirth is one of the important causes of women dying in this country. When a woman is between the age group of 25 to 35, ruling out anaemia may be useful.

Tip to prevent anaemia: Parents of adolescent girls are advised to give them an iron supplement. Just giving an iron tablet for 3 months each year is enough to ensure that she has a good store of Iron in her body. There are basically three types of anaemia –, iron deficiency, B12 deficiency and folic acid deficiency. An inexpensive capsule containing iron, B12 and folic acid will ensure that the girl is protected from all three forms of anaemia.