Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Its Relation to Innovative Anthropometric Indices in Persian Adults.

Background: BMI has been evaluated as an old criterion to evaluate obesity in individuals, but it does not assess abdominal obesity and lean mass. We aimed to evaluate the possible relationship of new anthropometric indices (namely, a body shape index (ABSI), the body roundness index (BRI), the visceral adiposity index (VAI), the visceral fat area (VFA), and waist-hip ratio (WHR)), with one of the known critical factors of atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness. Methods: Overall 5921 individuals were enrolled and were divided into four groups according to BMI. Novel anthropometric parameters including, ABSI, BRI, VAI, VFA, and WHR were calculated. The carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) was used to evaluate arterial stiffness. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between cf-PWV and innovative Anthropometric indices. Results: This study population consisted of 3109 women and 2812 males. In men with overweight, cf-PWV was significantly related to BMI, ABSI, BRI, WC, VAI, VFA, and WHR. However, among men with obesity, cf-PWV was associated with BRI, VAI, and VFA. Among women with overweight, cf-PWV was also related to all mentioned indices except ABSI; although, cf-PWV was only associated with VFA and WHR in women with obesity. Conclusion: Our results showed that VFA in women and VAI in men are strongly related to arterial stiffness and can be used to identify predictors of vascular disease or organic vascular dysfunction.

Body mass index, lipid profile, and hypertension contribute to prolonged QRS complex.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: QRS prolongation is one of the most common findings in patients with underlying cardiac diseases. Recent studies have shown that QRS prolongation can be accompanied by obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate how obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia could affect QRS duration. METHODS: A total of 4033 eligible subjects aged between 35 and 70 years were included from the Persian Cohort Study in Mashhad. ECG intervals, blood pressures, lipid profile, and BMI measures were obtained at the time of enrolment. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between QRS duration and BMI, hypertension, and lipid profile. RESULTS: This study population consisted of 2047 females and 1986 males with a mean age of 46.05 ± 9.50 years. Higher BMI values and heart rate were observed in women (27.12 ± 4 and 74.66 ± 8.54; P < 0.001), while height, weight, and QRS duration showed a significant increase in men (172.60 ± 7.18, 79.44 ± 12.55, and 97 ± 11.05; P < 0.001). Except for total cholesterol (P = 0.317), blood pressures and lipid profile differed significantly among women and men (P < 0.001). Furthermore, univariate analyses indicated that QRS duration was associated with age, sex, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, categorical blood pressure, categorical BMI, and continuous BMI. On the backward multivariate model, TG, LDL, HDL, DBP, SBP, categorical blood pressure, categorical BMI, and continuous BMI were independently correlated with QRS duration. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension, increased BMI, and high levels of LDL, TG, and lower HDL, as well-known risk factors of cardiovascular disease, were associated with prolonged QRS duration. These findings could be beneficial in future investigations regarding establishing the underlying heart problems.

Association between Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings with Outcome of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Report from Northeast Iran.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in December 2019 in China and has rapidly spread worldwide. Clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and their association with the outcome of patients with COVID-19 can be decisive in management and early diagnosis. Data were obtained retrospectively from medical records of 397 hospitalized COVID-19 patients between February and May 2020 in Imam Reza Hospital, northeast Iran. Clinical and laboratory features were evaluated among survivors and nonsurvivors. The correlation between variables and duration of hospitalization and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) was determined. Male sex, age, hospitalization duration, and admission to ICU were significantly related to mortality rate. Headache was a more common feature in patients who survived (p=0.017). It was also related to a shorter stay in the hospital (p=0.032) as opposed to patients who experienced chest pain (p=0.033). Decreased levels of consciousness and dyspnea were statistically more frequent in nonsurvivors (p=0.003 and p=0.011, respectively). Baseline white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (p < 0.001). Patients with higher WBC and CRP levels were more likely to be admitted to ICU (p=0.009 and p=0.001, respectively). Evaluating clinical and laboratory features can help clinicians find ways for risk stratifying patients and even make predictive tools. Chest pain, decreased level of consciousness, dyspnea, and increased CRP and WBC levels seem to be the most potent predictors of severe prognosis.