ANTHROPOMETRY AND DIABETIC CONTROL IN PAKISTAN

Objective: To find an association between various anthropometric measures (Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, Waist to Hip Ratio, Waist to Height Ratio) and glycemic control in Pakistani diabetics. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted over a period of six months that is from December 2015 to May 2016 on 332 Pakistani type 2 diabetic males and non-pregnant females irrespective of age presenting to the diabetic clinic at Medical Unit 3, Ward 7, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. A form with incorporated parameters required for recording gender, age and anthropometric measurements was used. Statistical analyses were performed on SPSS version 22.0. Frequencies of abnormal anthropometric measurements under categorized variables were seen. Chi square testing was done to see if there is a significant correlation between the deviant measurements and deranged HbA1c values. For data expression, percentages were used. Results: More females (64.2%) of females were enrolled in the study and majority (72.7%) of the diabetics were having HbA1c value of more than 7 which pointed towards poor glycemic control. About 2/3rd of the diabetic population fell under increased and high risk categories while hardly 12.6% having a normal body mass index. A significantly high number of people had deranged circumferences of waist and hip as well as waist to hip and waist to height ratios. When seen in conjunction with poor diabetic control, none of these measurements showed a statistically noteworthy correlation in general. Conclusion: None of the anthropometric measurements became a statistically significant pointer towards deranged sugars. Hence the serological testing for glycemic control remains the gold standard. Keywords: Anthropometry, Diabetes mellitus and Body mass index