[The influence of increased body mass index and abdominal obesity on the development of metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship among risk factors for metabolic syndrome such as high body mass index, abdominal obesity, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The main respondents were patients of the Clinic of Family Medicine at Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital. The selection of the respondents was performed using a method of stratified random selection of cohort. A total of 2,774 patients (1,321 men and 1,453 women) were divided into groups by 10-year intervals from 20 to 70 and more years of age. There were 430 patients selected randomly in every age group. Abdominal obesity was estimated measuring waist circumference or after measuring the waist/hip ratio. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all the patients.

RESULTS: While estimating the results of our survey, correlation between increased BMI and waist circumference was observed. The relation of body mass index with the other factors was detected: waist/hip ratio and positive family anamnesis of diabetes mellitus. Three-fourths (75%) of men with BMI >30 had a waist circumference of 102 cm or greater; in 85% of women with BMI >30 a waist circumference of 88 cm or greater was found. Also, waist/hip ratio and positive family anamnesis of diabetes mellitus were observed for all obese respondents. There was a statistically significant correlation between the waist circumference and waist/hip ratio (in 70.2% of patients, who had the waist circumference more than 102 cm, the waist/hip ratio higher than 0.9 was found and in 82.2% of female patients, who had the waist circumference more than 88 cm, the waist/hip ratio higher than 0.85 was found). A positive family anamnesis of diabetes mellitus was documented in more than a half of the respondents who had the increased waist circumference (in 58.9% of men and 67.3% of women).

CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant correlation between abdominal obesity, waist/hip ratio, waist circumference and body mass index was observed. Abdominal obesity is the mostly frequent indicator of metabolic syndrome.