Waist Circumference, a Predictive Factor for Cardiovascular Disease; Our Experience

Background. Obesity worsens the prognosis of diabetic patients by increasing the cardiovascular risk and chronic complications. The aim of the study was to report the prevalence of waist circumference in individuals with diabetes and find out their association with other cardiovascular risk factors. Material and Methods We performed a transversal study, in which 100 patients with essential hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, were evaluated in comparison with 100 patients with only hypertension. We evaluate these patients for: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC); intimae media thickness (IMT); microalbuminuria; fundus oculi. Results. A total of 200 hypertensive patients were enrolled in the study. The diabetic hypertensive subjects significantly had higher BMI (p= 0.01) and WC statistically significant (103.6 cm vs 98.3 cm; P = 0.005). There was a significant positive association between WC and microalbuminuria (P = 0.009); WC and IMT (P= 0.028); 84% of patients with abdominal obesity have changes of diabetic retinopathy independently of stage of changes. Conclusions. Prevalence of obesity in diabetic hypertensive patients was high. There was a positive relation of waist circumference and microalbuminuria, IMT, and diabetic retinopathy. This underlines the importance of measuring waist circumference when assessing cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients. Keywords: Abdominal obesity, organ damage, cardiovascular risk.