Neck Circumference as a Predictive Indicator of CKD for High Cardiovascular Risk Patients

Neck circumference (NC) is an anthropometric measure of obesity for upper subcutaneous adipose tissue distribution which is associated with cardiometabolic risk. This study investigated whether NC is associated with indicators of chronic kidney disease (CKD) for high cardiometabolic risk patients.

A total of 177 consecutive patients who underwent the outpatient departments of cardiology were prospectively enrolled in the study. The patients were aged >20 years with normal renal function or with stages 1-4 CKD. A linear regression was performed using the Enter method to present an unadjusted R(2), standardized coefficients, and standard error, and the Durbin-Watson test was used to assess residual independence.

Most anthropometric measurements from patients aged ≧ 65 were lower than those from patients aged < 65, except for women's waist circumference (WC) and waist hip ratio. Female NC obtained the highest R(2) values for 24 hr CCR, uric acid, microalbuminuria, hsCRP, triglycerides, and HDL compared to BMI, WC, and hip circumference. The significances of female NC with 24 hr CCR and uric acid were improved after adjusted age and serum creatinine.

NC is associated with indicators of CKD for high cardiometabolic risk patients and can be routinely measured as easy as WC in the future.