title: Waist circumference is a potential indicator of metabolic syndrome in Singaporean Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Studies proposed that waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) are good indicators of MetS. In this study, we examined and compared the predictive utility of clinical measures such as WC, blood pressure and BMI and determined the cutoff points in which these measures are most reliable in identifying MetS in Singaporean Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and forty-four subjects aged between 21 and 50 years of Chinese ethnicity were recruited into the study. Sociodemographic, height, weight and blood pressure information were obtained. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and glucose levels were evaluated. Presence of MetS was examined according to American Heart Association (AHA)/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines. Predictive utility of BP, WC and BMI was examined using receiver operating curve and discriminant indices were determined accordingly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one (16.8%) subjects were identified to have MetS. Our analysis revealed that waist circumference was most accurate in identifying MetS (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83 to 0.93, P <0.001) followed by BMI (AUC = 0.84, 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.91, P = 0.035), systolic BP (AUC = 0.83, 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.90, P = 0.036) and diastolic BP (AUC = 0.80, 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.88, P = 0.042). Waist circumference cut-off values of >92.5 cm in males and >86.5 cm in females were found to be most sensitive and specific in discriminating MetS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our finding has immediate and significant clinical implications as WC can be easily obtained. However, as the study included only Singaporean Chinese, findings cannot be generalised for other ethnic groups.
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Milawaty
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nurjono
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005544:Forecasting; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012846:Singapore; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides