Ultrasonographic assessment of abdominal fat and its correlation with blood pressure

Background : Obesity is a major cause of mortality and morbidity for associated metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. The role of fat distribution has received limited attention. Aims : The aim is to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and to correlate them with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Materials and Methods : Height, weight, BMI and blood pressure by standard sphygmomanometer were recorded in all subjects. SAT and VAT were measured by ultrasonography (5 MHz). Results : Out of seventy-five normal subjects, 32 were males and 43 were females. Statistical analysis was carried out using Pearsons correlation. The mean age was 45.57 in males and 45.81 in females. The mean SBP was 123.910.05 in males and 114.411.67 in females, which was statistically significant. (p 0.001). The mean DBP was 82.58.45 in males and 787.78 in females, which was statistically significant. (p 0.001). The mean SAT was 3.30.9 in males and 2.22.12 in females, while mean VAT was 3.41.5 in males and 4.441.77 in females which was statistically significant. (p 0.01). There was a positive correlation of SBP and DBP with VAT and SAT in males and females. There was positive correlation between SBP and VAT in females and was statistically significant (P value 0.01) than with DBP (p value 0.06). Conclusion : VAT is a better parameter that correlates with blood pressure.