Endocrine Abstracts

Background and Aim: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Neck Circumference (NC) can estimate the subcutaneous upper body fat distribution which has been recognized as associated with MetS. The aim of our study is to investigate the possible association of NC with cardiometabolic risk factors and MetS and to determine the possible cutoff points of NC for the diagnosis of MetS.

Methods: This is a cross sectional study including 60 obese patients. Diagnosis of MetS was based on the International Diabetes Federation 2009 criteria. Clinical characteristics, anthropometric measures (BMI, waist circumference and NC) were collected. Fasting plasma glucose, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG) levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were assessed. We used ROC curve analysis to estimate the optimal sex-specific NC cut-off point in the diagnosis of MetS.

Results: Mean age was 48.1±15.46 years with female predominance (68.4%). Type2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension were noted in 77.1% and 41.3% of cases. Mean BMI was 32.1±8.1 kg/m², mean waist circumference was 106.4 cm±14.63 for men and 110.4 cm ±19.62 for women. Mean NC was 40.3 cm±3.7 for men and 38 cm±4.5 for women. MetS was diagnosed in 33 (55%) of patients. NC was shown to be significantly associated with waist circumference (P<10^-3), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.03;P=0.02, respectively), triglyceride levels (P=0.04), fasting plasma glucose (P=0.001), and HDL-C level(P<10^-3) as well as MetS (P=0.03). After multivariate analysis, NC was an independent factor associated MetS (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.27- 21.16, P=0.02). The optimal cutoff points of neck circumference in the diagnosis of MetS for women is 34 cm (sensitivity of 70% and specificity 30%) and 38 cm for men (sensitivity of 65% and specificity 35%).

Conclusion: This study supports that NC is an effective anthropometric indicator associated with MetS. It has been suggested that more studies should be conducted to analyze the predictive effect of the combined application of anthropometric indicators currently in use and NC.