PREDICTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN FEMALES BY SERUM LEVEL OF TRIGLYCERIDES AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (TEHRAN LIPID AND GLUCOSE STUDY).

Background: Risk factors of cardiovascular disorders have been the subject of several studies. Recently, simultaneous high waist circumference (WC) and high serum triglyceride (Tg) has been proposed as a simple screening measure to predict non-traditional risk factors. This study has looked at the risk factors of cardiovascular disorders present in subjects with this phenotype. Methods : Non diabetic females of age 18-65 years who had been enrolled in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) were recruited. Based on fasting Tg and WC, subjects fell into four categories: TgHWH ( Tg>160 mg/dl, WC>80 cm), TgHWL (Tg>160 mg/dl,WC 80 cm) and TgLWL (Tg<160 mg/dl,WC<80 cm). Cardiovascular risk factors including lipid profiles and anthropometric variables were compared between the categories. The prevalence of hypertension, LDL-C>130 mg/dl, total cholesterol>220 mg/dl and HDL- C<45 mg/dl were also determined in each category. Results: 5630 subjects were studied. TgLWL and TgHWH constituted to 27.5 % and 31.9 % of subjects, respectively. Mean age of subjects dropping in TgLWL, TgLWH, TgHWL and TgHWH groups was 28±10, 39±12, 36+12 and 46±11, respectively and TgHWH subjects were significantly older than other groups (p<.001). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, body mass index and WC were significantly higher in TgHWH. Significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-C and significantly lower level of HDL-C were found in the TgHWH group. The prevalence of subjects with four or more risk factors was 61.4% in TgHWH versus 1% in TgLWL group. Conclusion : Parallel high waist circumference and high serum triglycerides (TgHWH) can find use as a simple screening measure to predict other risk factors of cardiovascular disorders.