Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Jan 2018)

Waist–thigh Ratio: A Surrogate marker for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian North Indian patients

  • Shivanjali Kumar,
  • Kamal Kumar,
  • Sarita Bajaj,
  • Ranjana Kumar,
  • Atul Gogia,
  • Atul Kakar,
  • Shrishti Paul Byotra

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/ijem.IJEM_181_17
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 47 – 49

Abstract

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Introduction: Diabetes is a major world-wide healthcare problem. Cost effective markers for screening and diagnosis of T2DM are the need of the day especially in developing and under-developed countries. Simple anthropometric measurements may help us in identifying individuals likely to have diabetes. Material and Methods: Data from 1055 North-Indian subjects was analysed. Results: Out of several anthropometric measurements studied, Waist-Thigh ratio (WTR) correlated significantly and positively with all three measures of diabetes i.e. FPG, RPG and PPG. (P < .0001) suggesting that it is the best predictor of diabetes. Subjects with diabetes had greater WTR (mean 2.088) than those without (mean1.842). (P < .0001). A thresh-hold effect was evident at a cut-off WTR of 2.3. Out of those subjects who were diagnosed to have diabetes by AACE/AHA guidelines, 82% had WTR greater than this value (P < 0.001). Conclusion: WTR may prove to be a simple and inexpensive marker for detecting Type 2 diabetes. Larger studies are required to develop population norms.

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