The association of waist hip ratio and angiographically determined coronary artery disease

Abstract

Body fat distribution as measured by the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference (WHR) is now accepted as an important risk factor for a number of diseases. This study evaluated the association of WHR and coronary artery disease (CAD). Measurements included the subjects' height, weight, waist girth, hip girth, significant CAD on coronary angiography, and cholesterol levels. A history of myocardial infarction, angina, diabetes or hypertension was obtained from subject interviews. The subjects were analyzed in two age groups: younger than age 60 (88 men and 39 women) and age 60 or older (85 men and 63 women). For older women the relative odds of CAD comparing women at the 75th percentile of WHR to women at the 25th percentile was 3.67 (P = 0.003), with a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.57-8.57. The relative odds was reduced to 2.80 after adjusting for all other risk factors. WHR was significantly associated with angiographic evidence of CAD in all women combined after adjusting for age (P = 0.0004), but it was not significantly associated with CAD in younger women or in men. The results suggest that in older women the risk of CAD increases with a greater percentage of body fat in the abdomen.