Abstract

Author(s): Costa Santiago, Emerson Rogério1; Fernandes Dourado, Keila1; De Moraes Vasconcelos Petribú, Marina1; Siqueira de Andrade, Maria Izabel2; Sousa Barbosa, Laís3; Mota dos Santos, Cláudia3

Introduction: Individuals with chronic kidney disease are often affected by cardiovascular disease. Neck circumference (NC) is a promising variable for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk in these patients.

Objective: Evaluate NC as an indicator of cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis, relating this measure to anthropometric and biochemical variables associated with cardiometabolic outcomes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with adult patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis at the Nephrology Center of the Barão de Lucena Hospital in Recife, Brazil. Demographic, socioeconomic, clinical and behavioral characteristics were recorded, along with anthropometric and biochemical variables related to cardiometabolic events. High cardiovascular risk was identified when NC was ≥37cm in men and ≥34cm in women. Statistical analysis involved the SPSS 13.0 program, with a p-value<0.05 indicative of statistical significance.

Results: Forty individuals participated (72.5% males; mean age: 54.4 ± 14.7). NC identified 55.0% (n=22) of the patients with high cardiovascular risk and was associated with the male sex as well as economic classes B and C. Positive correlations were found between NC and other anthropometric variables (body mass index, waist circumference, waist/height ratio and waist/hip ratio) and a negative correlation was found between NC and HDL cholesterol.

Conclusion: NC proved to be a good method for identifying cardiovascular risk in patients undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney disease and was correlated with anthropometric and biochemical variables associated with cardiometabolic outcomes.