2003 Volume 67 Issue 6 Pages 479-484
This study aimed to clarify whether body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio (WHR) or percent body fat (%fat) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients in Taiwan. A total of 463 patients were recruited. BMI and WHR were measured by standard methods and %fat by bioelectrical impedance. CAD was diagnosed as acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, or an electrocardiogram showing `coronary probable or possible' according to the Minnesota codes. Age, sex, diabetes duration, hypertension, smoking, fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c,and serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were treated as confounders. Results showed that 144 patients had CAD. Age, hypertension, HDL-C and %fat were independently associated with CAD. CAD prevalence was 25.5%, 26.8%, 31.9% and 43.0%, respectively, for the first to fourth quartile of %fat (p<0.05). Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for CAD for every 1% increase in %fat was 1.02 (1.01-1.03); and 1.01 (0.73-1.88), 1.26 (0.69-2.32) and 2.11 (1.09-4.07) for the second to fourth quartile, respectively, compared with the first quartile. BMI and WHR were not associated with CAD in similar analyses. In conclusion, %fat was a better predictor for CAD than BMI and WHR in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients in Taiwan. (Circ J 2003; 67: 479 - 484)
