Neck Circumference as a Simple, Reliable and Efficient Tool for Diagnosing the Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex metabolic disorder and is a high-risk condition for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Rapid screening of at-risk individuals using accurate and time-saving tools is effective in disease management. Using the KNHANES data, we collected data of 2,234 subjects suitable for the study design, of which 974 (43.6%) were men and 1,260 (56.4%) were women. We used ROC analysis to estimate the sex-specific neck circumference (NC) optimal cut-off point to predict MetS risk. In addition, in order to analyze the risk of MetS according to the estimated NC, logistic regression analysis was performed by correcting confounding factors. As a result of ROC analysis, the optimal neck cut point for predicting the risk of MetS was in men 38.25 cm (AUC: 0.759, 95% CI: 0.729-0.790) and in women 33.65 cm (AUC: 0.811, 95% CI: 0.782-0.840). In above this neck cut point, the risk of MetS was associated with increasing by 1.872-fold (P=0.004) in men and 4.639-fold (P<0.001) in women. It is suggested that more studies should be conducted to analyze the disease prediction effect of the combined application of anthropometric indicators currently in use and NC.