Sonographic prediction of body fat volume [subcutaneous and visceral fat] in cardiovascular patients

Inappropriate body composition represents impaired energy and nutrient intake and can be a risk factor for many diseases, especially for cardiovascular disease. Different methods have been suggested for the estimation of body fat volume and its distribution. However, they may be either expensive or hazardous for some groups of patients. Sonography is a very accessible technique, which may be used for the evaluation of visceral and subcutaneous fat volume. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sonographic prediction of body fat and its distribution in subcutaneous and visceral compartments. During a three-month period, we conducted sonographic evaluations for visceral and subcutaneous fat in 106 patients who were admitted to our hospital. The subcutaneous fat was measured at the para-umbilical region and visceral fat was measured in the right para-renal space. The results were compared with the data obtained from the body mass index [BMI] and bioelectric impedance analysis. The mean age of the patients was 58.8 years, and the mean BMI was 26.48 +/- 0.33. The mean values of fat percent and fat mass obtained by the electric-method were 31.07 +/- 0.81% and 22.12 +/- 0.68 kg, respectively. The respective mean values of subcutaneous and visceral fat obtained by sonography were 20.50 +/- 0.56 mm and 24.14 +/- 0.58 mm. The correlation between BMI and subcutaneous fat was 0.85 [p value<0.0001] and the correlation between BMI and visceral fat was0.46 [p value<0.0001]. Sonography is a reliable and available method for the estimation of body fat and its distribution in cardiovascular patients, in subcutaneous and visceral compartments

Serum levels of lipoprotein [A] and homocysteine in patients on hemodialysis who take hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors, vitamin B6, and folic acid

High serum levels of lipoprotein [a] and homocysteine are risk factors of cardiovascular disease which are prevalent in patients on hemodialysis. Controversy exists about the effects of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors on serum lipoprotein [a] levels in patients on hemodialysis. Also, deficiency of some water soluble vitamins and administration of statins may raise serum levels of homocysteine in these patients. This study was designed to investigate serum levels of lipoprotein [a] and homocysteine in patients on hemodialysis who were taking a statin, vitamin B6, and folic acid. We investigated on 152 patients with maintenance hemodialysis who were taking atorvastatin or lovastatin, vitamin B6, and folic acid for at least 6 months. Their serum levels were obtained to measure lipoprotein [a] and homocysteine levels, as well as triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The mean serum values of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly less than the maximum reference values [P < .001]. The mean serum level of lipoprotein [a] was also less than the reference value [P = .009], but homocysteine level was 33% higher on average than the reference value [P < 001]. Our study demonstrated that in our patients on hemodialysis, the mean serum level of homocysteine was about 30% higher than the reference value although they were receiving vitamin B6 and folic acid. Hence, they were still exposed to the risk of cardiovascular disease