Visceral adiposity index is positively associated with blood pressure: A systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to investigate the association between VAI and blood pressure.

Methods: The study was according to the PRISMA standards and the bibliographic search in the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases.

Results: This review included 32 articles, with 60,482 individuals - children to elderly people between 7 and 102 years old - of different age groups, most of them female (54.9%; n = 26,478). The year of publication ranged from 2010 to 2020, indicating that it is a recent theme, applied in almost all continents (America, Europe, Africa and Asia). The authors used data as continuous or into quantiles; blood pressure data also varied, with different cutoff points for the classification of arterial hypertension or continuously. The vast majority of studies have shown a positive association between VAI and blood pressure, both the sexes, in different age groups. The evaluation of the quality of the articles used by the Tool of the Joanna Briggs Institute according to their design.

Conclusion: Individuals with increased VAI have higher blood pressure levels. Registration (PROSPERO: CRD42020205965).

Keywords: Blood pressure; High blood pressure; Hypertension; Prehypertension; Visceral adiposity index.