Predictive cut-off values of visceral adipose thickness for the risk of metabolic syndrome

Visceral adipose thickness (VAT) at abdominal level is related to the risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases and the validation of accurate ultrasonography (US) protocols may favour the introduction of VAT assessment in clinical practice. However, predictive VAT cut-offs of risk of metabolic syndrome are not available. The aims of this study were 1) to investigate the association between (VAT) measured by US and components of metabolic syndrome (MS) and 2) to identify predictive cut-off values of risk of MS according to sex and age in a large Caucasian sample. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides VAT by abdominal ultrasonography were assessed in 3431 subjects (981 males, 2450 females mean age 46,8 ± 13,4 years). VAT was defined as the distance between the anterior wall of the aorta and the posterior surface of the rectus abdominis muscle measured above the umbilicus at the xiphoumbilical line. MS was diagnosed by IDF criteria (2005). MS prevalence was 34,6% (54,2% male, 26,8% female). VAT correlated with all components of MS. 7,6 cm in males and 5,34 cm in females are associated to an increasing risk of MS. Based on ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut-off points for predicting MS are reported in the table. In conclusion, optimal cut-off values for predicting MS are age and sex dependent and may be considered a good discriminating factor in clinical practice and in epidemiological studies