ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The cut-off points of waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are varied according to different races. There is a dearth of information on these indices especially in Iranian adults. We sought to estimate the cut-off points of waist circumference and BMI for detecting diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data were gathered by the First Iranian Non-Communicable Disease Survey in 2005. In total, 70,981 participants between 25 and 64 years of old were selected via random multistage cluster sampling. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to show the cut-off points of waist circumference and BMI for detecting diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. The maximum value the sum of sensitivity and specificity indicated the cut-off point. RESULTS: The cut-off points of waist circumference according to maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity for detecting hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in men were 89.7 cm, 89.4 cm and 88.2 cm and in women were 93.9 cm, 96.2 cm and 90 cm respectively. The cut-off points of BMI according to maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity for detecting hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in men were 25.7 kg/m(2), 24.8 kg/m(2) and 24 kg/m(2) and in women were 26.9 kg/m(2), 26.3 kg/m(2) and 26.1 kg/m(2) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This was a population-based study on a huge sample on the basis of a national survey. The Iranian BMI was different from the values suggested by the WHO. The waist circumference in Iranian women was higher than that in men.
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and rheumatic disorders in Caucasians and Turks in an identical environment. Subjects were selected randomly for an interview from Tehran's 22 districts. The Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases questionnaire was filled in, positive cases were examined, and if needed, laboratory or X-ray tests were performed. A total of 4,096 houses were visited, and 10,291 persons were interviewed. They were 71.4% Caucasians and 23.1% Turks with similar distribution of age and gender. Musculoskeletal complaints of the past 7 days were detected in 40.8% of Caucasians and 45.5% of Turks (p < 0.001). In Caucasians, the total of musculoskeletal complaints in men was 33.8% (95% CI, 31.4-36.2%) versus 48.3% in women (95% CI, 45.7-50.8%). In Turks, the total of musculoskeletal complaints in men was 36.6% (95% CI, 32.2-41.1%) versus 55.8% in women (95% CI, 55.8-60.6%). The data of Caucasians versus Turks were as follows: knee pain 20.2% (95% CI, 18.2-22.1) versus 24.1% (95% CI, 20.5-27.6), with p < 0.001; dorso-lumbar spine pain 15.1% (95% CI, 13.6-16.6) versus 18.4% (95% CI, 15.1-21.8), with p < 0.001; shoulder pain 10.7% (95% CI, 9.4-11.9) versus 12.3% (95% CI, 9.7-14.8), with p = 0.025; osteoarthritis 14.1% (95% CI, 12.8-15.2) versus 16.4% (95% CI, 14.3-18.6), p = 0.04; and knee osteoarthritis 12.3% (95% CI, 11.8-14.1) versus 15.3% (95% CI, 13.3-17.4), with p < 0.001). There were no significant differences regarding the prevalence of soft tissue rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Behcet's disease, fibromyalgia, and gout. Although musculoskeletal complaints were more frequent in Turks than in Caucasians, the prevalence of rheumatic disorders was rather similar except for knee osteoarthritis.