A Cross-sectional Study to Assess Insulin Resistance and Atherogenic Index of Plasma as Predictors of Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease among Undergraduate Medical Students at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Karnataka

Abstract

Background: Medical profession is known for stress and challenges due to hectic academic schedules which makes students, high-risk candidates for diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiometabolic disease (CMD). Surrogate markers such as homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) along with routine parameters enable early prediction of the disease. Hence, this study aimed at determining HOMA-IR and AIP along with assessment of their correlation with anthropometric and biochemical parameters associated with CMD risk among undergraduate medical students. Methodology : 460 medical students consented to participate in the study. The data related to socio-demographic profile, anthropometry, blood pressure and biochemical parameters such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting plasma insulin (FPI) and lipid profile was collected and analyzed. HOMA-IR and AIP were calculated. The strength of association between study variables was determined by relevant statistics. Results: The study showed the prevalence of overweight (17.8%), obesity (20.4%), pre-hypertension (37.82%) and hypertension (3.47%). 98.5% of the participants had normal FPG and FPI, whereas 1.5% had impaired levels. Lipid profile analysis showed hypercholesterolemia (3.7%), hypertriglyceridemia (8.1%), increased LDL-c (33.7%) and reduced HDL-c (55.2%). High HOMA-IR and AIP were contributed by 28.9% and 73.3% respectively. HOMA-IR and AIP showed statistically significant positive correlation with CMD risk factors. Conclusion: HOMA-IR and AIP considered as the better predictors of CMD risk among apparently healthy medical students. Thus, incorporation of these surrogate markers along with routine parameters for regular screening can help in early prediction of the risk of CMD among undergraduate medical students. Keywords: Homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance, Atherogenic index of plasma, Cardiometabolic disease, Medical students