Publication:

Association of lipid accumulation product index and conicity index in predicting systolic and diastolic blood pressures in hypertensive patients: a hospital based study

Background An epidemiological association between adiposity and hypertension has been well established. However, not all obese individuals develop hypertension, possibly due to variations in fat distribution. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship of the lipid accumulation product (LAP) index with systolic and diastolic blood pressures in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. Visceral fat accumulation is known to influence mean blood pressure levels, and indices like LAP and conicity index (CI) may serve as better indicators of central adiposity compared to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC).

Methods This observational cross-sectional study included 40 Indian patients attending the medicine OPD of a tertiary care centre in North India between July 19 and September 19, 2019. Blood pressure, WC, and serum triglyceride levels were measured, and LAP and Conicity indices were calculated. Correlations between these parameters were analysed statistically.

Results Among the participants, 62.5% were females and 37.5% males, with a mean age of 50.02±8.48 years (median: 49.5 years). A strong positive correlation was found between serum triglyceride levels and LAP index (r=0.867, p<0.001) and a moderate positive correlation with CI (r=0.326, p=0.040). Pulse pressure also showed a moderate positive correlation with LAP index (r=0.341, p=0.031).

Conclusions LAP and Conicity indices are promising, simple, and effective measures of visceral adiposity and may help in predicting hypertension risk and guiding clinical assessment.