Cardiometabolic syndrome among general adult population in Ghana: The role of lipid accumulation product, waist circumference-triglyceride index, and triglyceride-glucose index as surrogate indicators.

Background: Visceral obesity and insulin resistance contribute to developing cardiometabolic syndrome (MetS). We investigated the predictive abilities of lipid accumulation product (LAP), waist circumference-triglyceride index (WTI), and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index for MetS screening among the general Ghanaian adults. Methods: The final prospective analysis included 4740 healthy adults aged 30-90 years from three communities comprising Ejisu, Konongo, and Ashanti Akim Agogo in Ghana. Self-structured questionnaire pretested was used to collect sociodemographic, anthropometric, and clinical data. Blood samples were taken after fasting to measure glucose and lipid levels. LAP, WTI, and TyG were calculated from standard equations. MetS was defined by the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and multivariable logistic regression were utilized to evaluate the potential of the three indices in identifying MetS. Results: Of the 4740 participants, 39.7% had MetS. MetS was more common in females (50.3%) than in males (22.2%). Overall, LAP ≥ 27.52 yielded as the best index for MetS with the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.866). At cut-off LAP point of ≥23.87 in males and ≥33.32 in females, an AUC of 0.951 and 0.790 was identified in MetS prediction, respectively. LAP was an independent risk measure of MetS for both males (45.6-fold) and females (3.7-fold) whereas TyG was an independent risk measure for females (3.7-fold) only. Conclusions: MetS is increasing among the general adult population. LAP and TyG are important sex-specific risk measures to screen for MetS among the general adult population in our cohort.

Determination of Haematological Reference Ranges in Healthy Adults in Three Regions in Ghana.

Laboratory results interpretation for diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision-making in this period of evidence-based medicine requires cut-off values or reference ranges that are reflective of the geographical area where the individual resides. Several studies have shown significant differences between and within populations, emphasizing the need for population-specific reference ranges. This cross-sectional experimental study sought to establish the haematological reference values in apparently healthy individuals in three regions in Ghana. Study sites included Nkenkaasu, Winneba, and Nadowli in the Ashanti, Central, and Upper West regions of Ghana, respectively. A total of 488 healthy participants were recruited using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (United States National Consensus Committee on Laboratory Standards, NCCLS) Guidance Document C28A2. Medians for haematological parameters were calculated and reference values determined at 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles and compared with Caucasian values adopted by our laboratory as reference ranges and values from other African and Western countries. RBC count, haemoglobin, and haematocrit (HCT) were significantly higher in males compared to females. There were significant intraregional and interregional as well as international variations of haematological reference ranges in the populations studied. We conclude that, for each geographical area, there is a need to establish geography-specific reference ranges if accurate diagnosis and concise clinical decisions are to be made.