Different body-fat distributions in IDDM and NIDDM

Stepwise logistic regression was used for the analysis of the following anthropometric parameters in 146 adult patients with diabetes: waist/hips ratio, waist/thighs ratio, ratio of the arms-to-thighs circumferences, and ratio of the subscapular-to-triceps skinfolds. After adjustment for age and body mass index, only the waist/thighs ratio was found to have an independent discriminating value between insulin-dependent (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM) diabetic patients. The correlation of type of diabetes with the waist/thighs ratio was especially strong in women, exceeding even the role of age and body mass index. Other anthropometric parameters were related to type of diabetes through their correlation with waist/thighs ratio and had no independent discriminating value. The study shows that IDDM and NIDDM belong to different anthropometric types, which probably reflects their different pathogenesis.