title: Gender differences in diagnostic values of visceral fat area and waist circumference for predicting metabolic syndrome in Koreans.
abstract: Abdominal fat accumulation is known to be strongly implicated in development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We examined diagnostic values of obesity-related parameters in 95 men and 185 women, and we determined optimal cutoff values of visceral fat area (VFA) and waist circumference (WC) for predicting the presence of multiple non-adipose components of MetS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that VFA was the best indicator of MetS. WC and VFA exhibited similar diagnostic values for men and postmenopausal women, whereas WC was inferior to VFA for premenopausal women (area under ROC curve of VFA and WC was 0.76 and 0.52, respectively; P < 0.001). Optimal cutoff points of VFA and WC for predicting MetS were 136 cm(2) and 89 cm in men and 95 cm(2) and 82 cm in women, respectively. Subjects with VFA and WC above these cutoff values exhibited increased insulin resistance and increased carotid intima-media thickness. In conclusion, WC has a diagnostic value similar to VFA for predicting MetS in men and postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women. Further studies are necessary to develop a simple clinical parameter that reflects visceral fat in premenopausal women.
authors: Divisions of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Hong Il
authors: HI
authors: Kim
authors: Jin Taek
authors: JT
authors: Kim
authors: Sung Hoon
authors: SH
authors: Yu
authors: Soo Heon
authors: SH
authors: Kwak
authors: Hak Chul
authors: HC
authors: Jang
authors: Kyong Soo
authors: KS
authors: Park
authors: Seong Yeon
authors: SY
authors: Kim
authors: Hong Kyu
authors: HK
authors: Lee
authors: Young Min
authors: YM
authors: Cho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D011859:Radiography; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference