Body roundness index and waist-to-height ratio are strongly associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A population-based study

Background: A strong association between obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been reported. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate if new obesity indices, including a body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI), have stronger associations with NAFLD than waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we utilized the data of 4,872 participants aged 18 74 years from a cohort study conducted among 6,143 subjects in northern Iran. Logistic regression analysis was performed on NAFLD as the outcome and obesity measures (based on Z-score values) as potential predictors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted, in which NAFLD was considered as a reference variable and obesity measures as classification variables. The discriminatory ability of the obesity measures was reported based on area-under-the-curves, and the related cut-off points of BRI and WHtR were determined using the Youden index (YI). Results: Based on our results, BRI (OR = 5.484 for men and OR = 3.482 for women) and WHtR (OR = 5.309 for men and OR = 3.854 for women) showed a higher association with NAFLD than ABSI (OR = 1.363 for men and OR = 1.003 for women) and WHR (OR = 3.123 for men and OR = 1.628 for women). The optimal cut-off points for BRI were 4.00 (sensitivity = 82.7, specificity = 70.8) for men and 5.00 (sensitivity = 83.3, specificity = 71.7) for women. The optimal cut-off points for WHtR were 0.533 (sensitivity = 82.7, specificity = 70.8) for men and 0.580 (sensitivity = 83.3, specificity = 71.7) for women. Conclusions: While BRI and WHtR have equally strong associations with NAFLD, ABSI and WHR have weaker associations with NAFLD than BRI and WHtR. � 2016, Kowsar Corp

Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) prevalence and related risk factors in north of Iran

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most frequent disorders in daily clinical practice with numerous associated consequences. A large number of studies were conducted to determine the prevalence of GERD and its associated risk factors which led to inconsistent results. The present study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of GERD and its related risk factors in north of Iran. Methods: Nine hundred and thirty-three educated participants aged 18�77 years who had at least a High School Diploma were enrolled in the present study. Validated Persian version of Gastroesopahageal reflux questionnaire was used to collect the data. To determine the GERD associated risk factors, logistic regression was performed. Results: The prevalence of GERD was 53.5 (frequent GERD: 12.1 ). Among seven potential risk factors, the positive history of reflux in first relatives (OR = 2.37, CI = 1.76�3.20, p value < 0.001) and asthma (OR = 2.605, CI = 1.553�4.368, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with GERD. Spouse history of GERD in interaction with first relatives history of GERD and smoking was significantly associated with GERD too. Conclusion: The prevalence of GERD is increasing in our country compared to previus studies, which may lead to serious increment of malignant conditions such as esophagus adenocarcinoma. © 2016, The Japan Esophageal Society and Springer Japan

The Best Obesity Indices to Discriminate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: It is expected that the number of people with diabetes will reach 435 million by 2030. Obesity is considered the most important predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted the present study to determine the best usual discriminator indices of obesity to diagnose diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Of 6143 subjects aged 10-90 years from a baseline cohort study, the data of 5772 participants aged >18 years and without history of type 1 diabetes were utilized to analyze in this study. The cohort study was carried out in northern Iran and sampling frame was provided from related local health centers. The capability of obesity indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body adiposity index (BAI), in the discrimination of DM was evaluated. Discriminatory capabilities were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the strength of association between obesity indices and DM. Results: The areas under ROC curve of BAI, BMI, WC, and WHR were 0.6244 (0.5918-0.6570), 0.6214 (0.5908-0.6520), 0.6636 (0.6341-0.6930), and 0.7303 (0.7032-0.7575) in men and 0.5961 (0.5674-0.6249), 0.5963 (0.5690-0.6235), 0.6850 (0.6593-0.7108), and 0.7529 (0.7297-0.7761) in women, respectively. In the multivariate model, one unit increase in Z-score of BMI, WC, and WHR increased the chance of DM by 49, 65, and 51 in men and by 17, 51, and 67 in women, respectively. No association was found between DM and BAI in this model. Conclusions: While WHR had an appropriate discriminatory capability for T2DM in the population of northern Iran, BAI and BMI did not. © 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc