Association between abdominal circumference measurement and diagnosis of arterial hypertension in patients selected in cardiology clinics Valdir do Nascimento, Valmira Amanajás Pinheiro, José Eduardo Gregório Rodrigues, Neyma Andria Ramos, Vanessa Maria Caetano Soares, William da Costa, Hermes Toros Xavier

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially worldwide, which leads to considerable increases in the metabolic risk profile and frequency of risk factors (RF) for cardiovascular disease (CVD), notably arterial hypertension. Quantifying visceral adiposity becomes important to identify individuals at higher risk, in an attempt to reduce the impact of metabolic abnormalities and mortality from cardiovascular (CV) causes. In this study, we investigated the relationship between visceral adiposity, measured by abdominal circumference, and the frequency of dyslipidemia, in a sample of 2475 patients selected in cardiology offices. The analysis showed a significant increase in the frequency of arterial hypertension, in those with visceral adiposity determined by the measurement of abdominal circumference, in both sexes, configuring a significant association between the measurement of abdominal circumference and the diagnosis of arterial hypertension.