Objectives - To compare anthropometric measurements of general obesity and central obesity and assess the respective associations with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) comorbidly occurring with hypertension, and also to determine if the association between the anthropometric indices and cardiovascular risk factors varies with gender.
Methods. Age and sex matched control subjects (n=150) and patients (n=470) [hypertensive non-diabetics (n=179), normotensive diabetics (n=132), hypertensive diabetics (n=159)] presenting at the Medical Out-Patient Clinic of the State Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria were recruited. The examination included a fasting blood sample, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), blood pressure measurements and questionnaires to assess treatment for hypertension and T2DM. Weight, height, umblical circumference (UC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), were measured using standard procedures; body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and other body composition were calculated to assess overweight and obesity.
Results. BMI and BF % were significantly increased in all the patients. There was significant difference in gender BMI and BF%. In both controls and patients, BMI and BF% were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in female when compared with their male counterparts. Also UC, WC, HC, WHR, WHtR were significantly higher in patients in both sexes when compared with their control counterparts. WHtR has more significantly positive correlation with hypertension and/or T2DM when compared with all other anthropometric parameters. WHtR was still a slightly better predictor in men, whereas in women, WC was slightly better than others.
Conclusions. The association of central and general obesity varied with gender. In addition, the useful anthropometric predictors for known risk factors for cardiovascular disease (T2DM, hypertension and their comorbidity) risk factors were WHR for men, and WC for women.
Key words: Anthropometry, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, comorbidity
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