Relationship of neck circumference to some cardiometabolic risk parameters: a cross-sectional study among obese adult Egyptians

Background Neck circumference (NC) is an easy and reliable anthropometric measurement. The use of NC as an indicator of obesity among Egyptians was previously established. However, the relationship between NC and different cardiometabolic risk (CMR) parameters was not previously studied in the Egyptian population. Objective The aim of this work was to study the relationship between NC and some CMR parameters in obese adult Egyptian individuals. Participants and methods This cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 apparently healthy obese adult Egyptian participants (BMI ≥30 kg/m2), above the age of 18 years, 50% of them were males and the other 50% were females. NC and other traditional anthropometric measurements were evaluated. Blood samples were assayed for glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), non-HDL-C, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Results There were significant positive correlations between NC and each of systolic and diastolic blood pressure [(r=0.527, P<0.001), (r=0.430, P<0.001), respectively], waist circumference (r=0.538, P<0.001), BMI (r=0.403, P<0.001), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (r=0.304, P=0.002). While a significant negative correlation was found between NC and HDL-C. Multivariate regression analysis revealed an independent association of NC with waist circumference in males and with systolic blood pressure in females. Conclusion This study does not only confirm the association of NC with anthropometric measurements in the Egyptian population, but it also establishes the NC association with CMR factors that support the possibility of using NC as a CMR marker among Egyptians.