Correlation between anthropometric parameters and arteriosclerosis biomarker in the middle-aged and the elderly

Yan LIU; Litong QI; Wei MA; Ying YANG; Lei MENG; Baowei ZHANG; Yong HUO

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To investigate the correlation between anthropometric indices and arteriosclerosis detection indicators in the middle-aged and the elderly .

Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive study was made of 1 626 individuals ( diabetics patients 23.37%, hypertensive subjects 39.48% and healthy individuals 37.15%), aged 45 to 90 years [mean age(61.60 ±10.22) years)] in Shijingshan Dis-trict, Beijing.Their measurementsbody mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio ( WHtR ) .Arterial stiffness was assessed according to brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), intima-media thickness (IMT), augmentation index (AI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI), which were measured by noninvasive detectors and equipment .The correlations between the various indi-cators were analyzed .

Results:

The percentages of the hypertensive and diabetic groups of central obesity ( male WC>85 cm, female WC >80 cm or WHtR>0.5 ) and of general obesity ( BMI>28 kg/m2 ) were significantly higher than those of the healthy group ( P0 .05 ) .There was a moderate positive correlation between the measures of abdominal obesity (WHtR and WC) and the general obesity indicators (BMI) (r=0.710 and 0.716) .In the healthy group , WC and WHtR showed positive correlation with baPWV , IMT and ABI, and negative correlation with AI 75 .BMI showed positive correlation with IMT and negative correla-tion with AI75 , and no correlation with baPWV and ABI .There was negative correlation between BMI and baPWV in the diabetic group .In the hypertension group , we found negative correlation between BMI and baPWV, maximum IMT, AI75 , and also between WC and AI 75 .The simple regression straight line of baPWV versus the anthropometric parameters showed that the regression equations were y =0 .949 +1.379 x (baPWV vs.WHtR, R2 =0.046, P<0.001) and y=1.133+0.006x (baPWV vs.WC, R2 =0.027, P<0.001), respectively.baPWV and BMI did not have a linear relationship (P =0.62).

Conclusion:

WHtR and WC are superior to BMI indices in predicting arteriosclerosis .Anthropometric measurements for central obesity are good predictors of cardiovascular risk .