Evaluation of the relationship between subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat diameters and predictors of cardiovascular disease in Iranian adults using ultrasound

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one the leading causes of death in the world. Obesity is known as one of the essential risk factors for CVDs. According to the available literature, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) are strongly associated with CVDs. This study aims to evaluate the relation between SAT and VAT with other predictors of CVDs, using ultrasound. The present study was conducted in 2018 using the data extracted from a cohort study that was carried out among the staff and faculty members of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS). The study group consisted of 797 males and 950 females. The data on anthropometric and biochemical measurements were extracted from the cohort. An ultrasound test was performed to measure the visceral and subcutaneous fat tissue, and IBM SPSS 26 was used to analyze the data. Our findings show that there is a major correlation between VAT and age, weight, waist circumference, and triglycerides. Also, there was a significant association between abdomen circumference, waist circumference, and triglycerides with SAT. The current study highlights the importance of monitoring changes in adipose tissue diameter due to its close connection with CVD risk factors