# Associations of anthropometric indices with body adiposity for assessing cardiovascular risk in people living with HIV: a cross-sectional study

## TL;DR

This study explores how body measurements like waist-to-hip ratio relate to body fat and cardiovascular risk in people living with HIV.

## Contribution

The study identifies that combining multiple anthropometric indices improves cardiovascular risk assessment in people with HIV.

## Key findings

- WHR and CI were inversely correlated with total body fat in people living with HIV.
- Using WHR, WHtR, and CI together provides a more reliable cardiovascular risk assessment than using them separately.
- No significant link was found between these indices and the duration of HIV infection.

## Abstract

The presence of HIV infection is associated with an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), which can be attributed to a range of factors, related to the virus itself. These include increased levels of inflammation and immune activation. Following the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV (PLHIV) began to exhibit an increase in body weight. However, this was also associated with an elevated risk of developing metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the association between anthropometric indices of cardiovascular risk—waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and conicity index (CI)—with body composition and time of infection in PLHIV.

An analytical cross-sectional study consisting of 17 PLHIV of both sexes is conducted. The following anthropometric indices were measured: body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, body fat (BF), WHR, WHtR and CI. For the purposes of statistical analysis, the agreement between the methods used for the diagnosis of cardiovascular risk was verified using the Kappa coefficient. The associations were then verified using the Pearson’s “r” coefficient. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

The results of the association analyzes between the anthropometric indices WHR, WHtR and CI indicated that WHR and CI were inversely correlated with total BF (kg). Consequently, there was consensus regarding CVD risk between WHR and CI, as well as between the three indices collectively. However, no significant association was observed between the anthropometric indices WHR, WHtR and CI and the duration of HIV infection.

Therefore, it can be concluded that when evaluating the risk of CVD in PLHIV, it is more reliable to associate WHR, WHtR and CI together than to use these indices separately, and total BF can be associated with CI or WHR for a risk assessment.