RISK STRATIFICATION OF BODY MASS INDEX B L

Abstract

Introduction: Body Mass Index (BMI) is the simplest & commonly used method of measuring obesity in a general population. BMI has its limitations as it does not directly measure body fat, it is an indicator of heaviness rather than fatness, & cannot distinguish body fat from fat-free mass. Highly sensitive C reactive protein (hs CRP) has been found to be increased in subjects with central obesity& it may be useful in sub classifying BMI. 

Objective: To investigate the relationship between BMI and hs-CRP in healthy subjects & to evaluate feasibility of using hsCRP as a tool for risk stratification of BMI Material & methods: 79 normal healthy adult volunteers, age 18 to 25 years were enrolled for the Study. a detailed general physical & laboratory evaluation, BMI & hsCRP was done. Subjects were grouped as Group A: BMI <23.9 (n= 50) and Group B: > 24 ( n=30).

Results: Mean age 19 +1.7 years. Male: 41.3% & Female: 58.8%. Mean BMI of the Study population was 22.37+4.0 and the mean hsCRP was 1.43 + 2.1. Group B subjects with higher BMI were significantly taller with higher waist hip ratio & their hsCRP was also significantly higher (A v/c B - 1.03 v/s 2.03) p <0.03. In both groups at various BMI cutoff values, hs CRP significantly increased with increasing BMI.

Conclusion: Link between obesity and inflammation is evident by raised hsCRP in obese individuals with higher BMI. hsCRP can be used to sub-classify BMI into high and low risk normal subjects.