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A cluster of disorders that has been linked
to type 2 diabetes may also contribute to early-onset heart
disease in certain families.
A recent study has found that insulin
resistance syndrome, or "syndrome X," clusters
in families with a history of early heart disease
-- a heart attack or blood vessel blockage before age 55 in
men and before age 65 in women.
Insulin resistance syndrome refers to
a combination of risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including
chronically elevated insulin levels, low HDL ("good")
cholesterol, abdominal obesity and high blood pressure.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the
body no longer responds to insulin, the body's
key blood sugar-regulating hormone. As a result, levels of
insulin in the blood become elevated and over time, can raise
the risk for kidney failure and blindness, as well
as heart disease.
Individuals with heart disease were found
to have higher insulin levels after the test, lower
HDL levels, higher triglycerides and higher fibrinogen compared
with their healthy siblings.
Insulin resistance syndrome occurred
in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes.
Arteriosclerosis,
Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology August 2001;21:1346-1352
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