ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CAD). This study was aimed to assess the risk for CAD determined by certain new and conventional body composition parameters such as visceral fat area (VFA), body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), etc. Methods: We did an age and sex matched case-control study of acute myocardial infarction with 100 participants in a tertiary care hospital (50 cases and 50 controls) representing the serving army personnel. The relation between VFA, per cent body fat (PBF), BMI, waist and hip circumferences, and WHR to CAD was assessed. Results: The study showed that there was a significantly increased risk for CAD associated with VFA (OR: 5.67; 95% CI: 1.96, 16.95), WHR (7.07; 2.19, 24.27), waist circumference (WC) (2.63; 1.05, 6.66) and BMI (2.53; 1.03, 6.26). Interpretation & conclusions: In conclusion, increased VFA, BMI, WHR and WC showed an association with CAD. VFA is a good index for assessing not only visceral fat accumulation but also cardiovascular risk factors.
ABSTRACT
Twenty-eight cases of intracranial epidermoids were operated over a period of 10 years at the Bangur Institute of Neurology, Kolkata; 17 of them were male and 11 were female with an age range of 11 to 55 (mean 28.21) years. Their locations include--cerebellopontine angle region (n = 15), fourth ventricle (n = 6), lateral ventricle (n = 3), corpus callosum (n = 2), pineal region (n = 1) and basal cistern near temporal lobe (n = l). Hearing loss and vertigo were commonest features of cerebellopontine angle epidermoids. Fourth ventricular tumours presented with gait disturbances and cerebellar signs. Symptomatology of other lesions were varied. CT scan was diagnostic in 23 cases. Sixteen patients had ventriculomegaly and 10 of them required ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Total removal was achieved in 6, near total in 14 and partial in 8 cases. Five patients died. Postoperative complications included chemical meningitis in 7, worsening of cerebellar functions in 3 and aggravation of cranial nerve deficits in 2 patients. All of them except one case of cranial nerve deficit resolved with time. Nineteen patients were followed up over a mean duration of 5 years and 10 months. Reoperation was required in one. Rest had satisfactory outcome.