Saf Health Work.  2012 Dec;3(4):287-293.

Evaluation of Waist Circumference Cut-off Values as a Marker for Fatty Liver among Japanese Workers

Affiliations
  • 1Kyushu Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Life Science & Systems Engineering, Fukuoka, Japan. abe-naomi@umin.ac.jp
  • 2Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
Metabolic syndrome has received attention as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with particular importance attached to visceral fat accumulation, which is associated with lifestyle-related diseases and is strongly correlated with waist circumference. In this study, our aim is to propose waist circumference cut-off values that can be used as a marker for fatty liver based on a sample of workers receiving health checkups in Japan.
METHODS
This study was conducted in a total of 21,866 workers who underwent periodic health checkups between January 2007 and December 2007. The mean age of the subjects was 47.4 years for men (standard deviation [SD]: 8.0) and 44.7 years for women (SD: 6.9). Evaluation included abdominal ultrasound and measurement of waist circumference, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure.
RESULTS
Based on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal waist circumference cut-off values were shown as 85.0 cm (sensitivity 0.72, specificity 0.69) for men and 80.0 cm (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.78) for women.
CONCLUSION
Abdominal ultrasound is the most efficient means of diagnosing fatty liver, but this examination seldom occurs because the test is not routinely performed at workers' health checkups. In people found to have a high risk of fatty liver, recommendations can be made for abdominal ultrasound based on the waist circumference cut-off values obtained in this study. That is, waist circumference can be used in high risk individuals as an effective marker for early detection of fatty liver.

Keyword

Waist circumference; Fatty liver; Health-check examination; Ultrasonography; Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Blood Glucose
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cholesterol
Fasting
Fatty Liver
Female
Humans
Intra-Abdominal Fat
Lipoproteins
Male
Risk Factors
ROC Curve
Sensitivity and Specificity
Triglycerides
Waist Circumference
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol
Lipoproteins
Triglycerides
Full Text Links
  • SHAW
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr