Optimal definitions for abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome in Andean Hispanics: the PREVENCION study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to establish optimal definitions for abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Andean adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Among 1,448 Andean adults, we assessed the relationship between waist circumference and subclinical vascular disease assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and manifest cardiovascular disease (M-CVD). RESULTS: Optimal waist circumference cutoffs to classify individuals with abnormal cIMT or M-CVD were >97 and >87 cm in men and women, respectively. With these cutoffs, there was substantial disagreement between the original American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) and the recently updated MetS definition, particularly among men (kappa = 0.85). Subjects with MetS identified by the updated definition but not meeting the original AHA/NHLBI MetS criteria demonstrated significantly increased cIMT (P < 0.001) compared with subjects who did not meet the MetS criteria by either definition. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the use of ethnic-specific waist circumference cutoffs and the updated MetS definition in Andean adults.

Prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en la población adulta de Arequipa Metropolitana: resultados del estudio prevención / Prevalencia of overweight and obesity in the adult population of Arequipa Metropolitan: results of the study prevention

Antecedentes: El sobrepeso y la obesidad aumentan el riesgo de padecer enfermedades cardiovasculares y otras patologías que alteran significativamente la calidad y expectativa de vida. Estudios en otras poblaciones de América Latina y el Perú muestran que la prevalencia de obesidad viene aumentando en las últimas décadas. Métodos: PREVENCION es un estudio poblacional realizado en la ciudad de Arequipa entre los años 2004-2006, en el que se obtuvo una muestra probabilística, multietápica y estratificada de adultos no institucionalizados de entre 20-80 años de edad constituida por 1878 individuos (867 varones y 1011 mujeres) pertenecientes a 626 familias. Evaluamos la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad de acuerdo al índice de masa corporal (IMC) y la prevalencia de obesidad abdominal considerando el perímetro de cintura (PC). Resultados: El valor promedio del IMC en la población fue 26.2 kg/m2 (IC al 95 por ciento = 25.9û26.5 kg/m2). Las prevalencias estandarizadas por edad de obesidad (IMC≥30) y sobrepeso (IMC = 25.0û29.9) fueron 17.6 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=15.7û19.6 por ciento) y 41.8 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=39.3û44.4 por ciento), respectivamente. La prevalencia de obesidad fue más alta en mujeres (20.5 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=17.9-23.2 por ciento) que en hombres (14.7 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=12.3-17.5 por ciento; p=0.001). Sin embargo, la prevalencia de sobrepeso fue mayor en hombres (47.8 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=44.1-51.5 por ciento) que en mujeres (35.9 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=32.7-39.1 por ciento ; p<0.001), de modo que el 37.4 por ciento de hombres y el 43.7 por ciento de mujeres presentaron un IMC<25.0. La prevalencia de obesidad abdominal según los criterios del ATP III fue de 15.2 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=12.8-18.1 por ciento) en hombres y 39.7 por ciento (IC al95 por ciento=36.3-43.2 por ciento) en mujeres (p<0.0001). A su vez, las prevalencias de obesidad abdominal en hombres y mujeres...

Endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, arterial hemodynamics, and subclinical vascular disease: the PREVENCION Study.

Endogenous NO synthase inhibitors (end-NOSIs) have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. In addition, end-NOSIs may directly cause hypertension through hemodynamic effects. We aimed to examine the association between end-NOSI asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and N-guanidino-monomethyl-arginine (NMMA), subclinical atherosclerosis, and arterial hemodynamics. We studied 922 adults participating in a population-based study (PREVENCION Study) and examined the correlation between end-NOSI/L-arginine and arterial hemodynamics, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness using linear regression. ADMA, NMMA, and L-arginine were found to be differentially associated with various classic cardiovascular risk factors. ADMA and NMMA (but not L-arginine) were significant predictors of carotid intima-media thickness, even after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, C-reactive protein, and renal function. In contrast, ADMA and NMMA did not predict carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, blood pressure, or hemodynamic abnormalities. Higher L-arginine independently predicted systolic hypertension, higher central pulse pressure, incident wave amplitude, central augmented pressure, and lower total arterial compliance but not systemic vascular resistance or cardiac output. We conclude that ADMA and NMMA are differentially associated with cardiovascular risk factors, but both end-NOSIs are independent predictors of carotid atherosclerosis. In contrast, they are not associated with large artery stiffness, hypertension, or hemodynamic abnormalities. Our findings are consistent with a role for asymmetrical arginine methylation in atherosclerosis but not in large artery stiffening, hypertension, or long-term hemodynamic regulation. L-arginine is independently associated with abnormal pulsatile (but not resistive) arterial hemodynamic indices, which may reflect abnormal L-arginine transport, leading to decreased intracellular bioavailability for NO synthesis.

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Peruvian Andean hispanics: the PREVENCION study.

Data regarding the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MTS) in Andean populations are limited. We evaluated the prevalence of MTS according to American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria among 1878 subjects in the PREVENCION study in Peru. In women, the most common component was low HDL cholesterol (60.9%) followed by abdominal obesity (36.9%). In men, the most common component was elevated triglycerides (52.0%) followed by low HDL cholesterol (32.5%), whereas the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 14%. Abnormal fasting glucose was the least common component in men (5.4%) and women (5.0%). The prevalence of MTS was significantly higher in women compared to men (23.2% versus 14.3%) and increased steeply with age, particularly in women (p<0.0001). Using body mass index (BMI>or=30kg/m2) instead of waist circumference as a component of the MTS lead to equivalent prevalence estimates of MTS in men but significantly underestimated the prevalence in women. The MTS is highly prevalent among Peruvian Andeans, particularly in older women. The pattern of MTS components in this Andean population is characterized by a high prevalence of dyslipidemia and a relatively low prevalence of elevated fasting glucose. Further studies are required to characterize genetic and environmental determinants of these patterns.

Prevalence and patterns of hypertension in Peruvian Andean Hispanics: the PREVENCION study.

Cardiovascular disease is emerging as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin America. Population-based data regarding the prevalence of hypertension and hypertension subtypes in Andean Hispanic populations are scarce. The authors performed a population-based study that included 1878 Peruvian Andean adults to determine: (1) the prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension and (2) the relative frequency of hypertension subtypes (systolic vs. diastolic). The prevalence of hypertension was 15.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.0%-17.4%), did not differ by gender, and increased steeply with age, particularly in women. Awareness, treatment, and control rates were 47.9%, 39.5%, and 14%, respectively. Diastolic blood pressure increased until age 50 years and reached a plateau thereafter, whereas mean arterial pressure continued to increase with age even after age 50 years. Furthermore, in sharp contrast with the United States population, the predominant type of hypertension was systodiastolic (41.7%; 95% CI, 35.1%-48.5%). Isolated systolic hypertension accounted for only 29.3% of cases (95% CI, 23.9%-35.4%) and was responsible for a minority of cases in all age groups before age 70 years. Hypertension subtypes in this Andean population seem to differ significantly from those present in the United States population, with a much larger proportion of systodiastolic and diastolic hypertension even with advanced age. These differences result from interactions between hemodynamic and structural factors, and further studies aimed at characterizing their genetic and environmental determinants and implications in end-organ damage and prognosis in this population may contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of hypertension.

Prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en la población adulta de Arequipa Metropolitana: resultados del estudio prevención / Prevalencia of overweight and obesity in the adult population of Arequipa Metropolitan: results of the study prevention

Antecedentes: El sobrepeso y la obesidad aumentan el riesgo de padecer enfermedades cardiovasculares y otras patologías que alteran significativamente la calidad y expectativa de vida. Estudios en otras poblaciones de América Latina y el Perú muestran que la prevalencia de obesidad viene aumentando en las últimas décadas. Métodos: PREVENCION es un estudio poblacional realizado en la ciudad de Arequipa entre los años 2004-2006, en el que se obtuvo una muestra probabilística, multietápica y estratificada de adultos no institucionalizados de entre 20-80 años de edad constituida por 1878 individuos (867 varones y 1011 mujeres) pertenecientes a 626 familias. Evaluamos la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad de acuerdo al índice de masa corporal (IMC) y la prevalencia de obesidad abdominal considerando el perímetro de cintura (PC). Resultados: El valor promedio del IMC en la población fue 26.2 kg/m2 (IC al 95 por ciento = 25.9û26.5 kg/m2). Las prevalencias estandarizadas por edad de obesidad (IMC≥30) y sobrepeso (IMC = 25.0û29.9) fueron 17.6 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=15.7û19.6 por ciento) y 41.8 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=39.3û44.4 por ciento), respectivamente. La prevalencia de obesidad fue más alta en mujeres (20.5 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=17.9-23.2 por ciento) que en hombres (14.7 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=12.3-17.5 por ciento; p=0.001). Sin embargo, la prevalencia de sobrepeso fue mayor en hombres (47.8 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=44.1-51.5 por ciento) que en mujeres (35.9 por ciento; IC al 95 por ciento=32.7-39.1 por ciento ; p<0.001), de modo que el 37.4 por ciento de hombres y el 43.7 por ciento de mujeres presentaron un IMC<25.0. La prevalencia de obesidad abdominal según los criterios del ATP III fue de 15.2 por ciento (IC al 95 por ciento=12.8-18.1 por ciento) en hombres y 39.7 por ciento (IC al95 por ciento=36.3-43.2 por ciento) en mujeres (p<0.0001). A su vez, las prevalencias de obesidad abdominal en hombres y mujeres...

Design of PREVENCION: a population-based study of cardiovascular disease in Peru.

Latin America is undergoing the epidemiologic transition that occurred earlier in developed countries, and is likely to face a gigantic epidemic of heart disease in the next few years unless urgent action is taken. The first essential component of any effective cardiovascular disease (CVD) control program is to establish reliable estimates of cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality. However, such data from population-based studies in Latin America are still lacking. In this paper, we present the design and operation of PREVENCION (Estudio Peruano de Prevalencia de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares, for Peruvian Study of the Prevalence of Cardiovascular diseases). PREVENCION is an ongoing population-based study on a representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the second largest city in Peru. Its population is comparable to the rest of the Peruvian urban population and closely resembles other Latin American populations in countries such as Bolivia and Ecuador. Our study will contribute to the enormous task of understanding and preventing CVD in Latin America.