Hypertension and its relationship with anthropometric measurements (bmi profile and waist: hip ratio)

Introduction: High prevalence of non-communicable diseases particularly hypertension is gaining much importance in developing countries. Associations between body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) have been consistently observed but the unresolved question is, whether there is a linear relationship across the entire BMI range. There is further need to study the relationship of anthropometry with hypertension to assess its applicability in all populations. Aims/Objectives: To analyze the better anthropometric predictor of Hypertension. Results and discussion: Of the 39 hypertensive we found in our study 8 showed family history of hypertension i.e. about 20.5%, this shows that familial hypertension is also a major cause of concern. WC > BMI > WHR as indicators of hypertension (relative p values- 0.001, 0.038, 0.94 for waist circumference, body mass index and waist hip ratio respectively). Conclusion: The accuracy of anthropometric measurements as indicators showed that waist circumference was a better indicator than BMI which in turn is preferred over waist hip ratio.