Role of the Visceral Adiposity Index in Predicting Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction Among Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic Syndrome and LV Diastolic Dysfunction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69750/dmls.03.05.0212Keywords:
Metabolic syndrome, visceral adiposity index, diastolic dysfunction, echocardiography, visceral obesityAbstract
Background: The biological activity of visceral fat in metabolic syndrome might lead to abnormal relaxation of the ventricles before the onset of the change in the systolic function or the development of signs of heart failure. Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) is the combination of anthropometry of the abdomen and triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, and may thus better represent metabolically harmful adiposity than body size itself.
Objective: To examine the relationship of the Visceral Adiposity Index with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and determine its ability to identify affected adults with metabolic syndrome.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 100 adults managed in the Medicine and Cardiology Departments of Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, from January through December 2025. Clinical information, anthropometric measurements, fasting biochemical findings, and transthoracic echocardiographic indices were recorded. Sex-specific equations were used to derive the Visceral Adiposity Index. Independent associations were assessed through multivariable binary logistic regression, while classification performance was examined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.
Results: Diastolic dysfunction was present in 43 participants. Their mean Visceral Adiposity Index was higher than that of participants with normal ventricular filling (4.8 ± 1.2 vs 3.2 ± 0.9; p<0.001). The proportion with dysfunction increased from 18.2% in the lowest index tertile to 70.6% in the highest. The index yielded an area under the curve of 0.823. A value greater than 3.72 identified dysfunction with 81.4% sensitivity and 73.7% specificity. After covariate adjustment, each one-unit increase was associated with 2.38 times greater odds of diastolic dysfunction.
Conclusion: Visceral Adiposity Index values showed an independent, graded relationship with impaired left ventricular filling. The index may help prioritise adults with metabolic syndrome for echocardiographic assessment before clinically evident cardiac disease develops.
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