Evaluation of body adiposity index as a predictor of aortic stiffness in multi-ethnic Asian population with type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus. We evaluated the predictive ability of the recently developed body adiposity index for aortic stiffness, an intermediate endpoint of cardiovascular disease, in a cross-sectional multi-ethnic Asian type 2 diabetes mellitus cohort (N=1408). AS was estimated using carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measured by applanation tonometry. Body adiposity index was computed as hip circumference/(height)(1.5)-18. Compared to body mass index, waist circumference and visceral fat area, body adiposity index displayed the weakest association with pulse wave velocity (r=0.077, 0.096, 0.134 and 0.058, respectively; all p<0.05). Interestingly, the relationship between measurements of obesity and pulse wave velocity was ethnic dependent - body mass index, body adiposity index, waist circumference and visceral fat area consistently predicted pulse wave velocity only in Indians but not others. In multi-variable analysis, body mass index was a significant determinant of pulse wave velocity in all ethnicities. In conclusion, body adiposity index is a weak predictor of aortic stiffness (when compared with body mass index) in Asians with type 2 diabetes mellitus.