부산대학교 도서관

Introduction:Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death worldwide, even higher in South Asian countries. South Asia shows a higher incidence of ACS and an increasing trend of overweight and obesity.Methods:This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, among the patients presenting with ACS. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data and to take anthropometric measurements. They were analysed to obtain the body mass index (BMI) and the waist-hip ratio.Results:A total of 780 patients with ACS were included in the study with a mean age of 60.8 ± 11.3 years. Among them, 316 (40.5%) were females. The mean BMI of females was 25.2 ± 4.4 kg m-2which was higher than that of males 23.9 ± 3.8 kg m-2, showing a statistically significant difference (p=0.003). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 37.6% and 21.2%, respectively, significantly higher than the normal values for the ordinary Sri Lankan population (p=0.002). In females, the prevalence of obesity (31.2%) was significantly higher than in males (13.5%) (p=0.000). In males, the prevalence of overweight (40.6%) was significantly higher than in females (33.8%) (p=0.000). The mean waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in females were 88.8 ± 13.8 cm and 0.93 ± 0.10, respectively, which were significantly above the cut-off values for the risk of metabolic complications for South Asians 80 cm (p=0.000) and 0.85 (p=0.000). In males, the mean waist circumference was 86.9 ± 12.9 cm, significantly below the cut-off value for the South Asians (p=0.009), and the mean waist-hip ratio was 0.98, significantly above the cut-off point for South Asians (p=0.000).Conclusions:The proportion of overweight and obesity is significantly higher among the South Asians with ACS than the average South Asian population, confirming them as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. In females, obesity is more associated with the development of ACS than in males. A higher waist circumference and the waist-hip ratio has an excellent predictive value of ACS in females. However, in males, though the waist-hip ratio has an excellent predictive value of ACS, waist circumference shows a negative correlation.