Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 has Comparable Ability as Anthropometric Indices to Discriminate Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study
E. N. Adejumo, 1J. D. Adefoluke, 2N. L. Nwobi, 3C. J. Okafor, 4S. Y. Lokpo
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Available evidence suggests that the
indices of obesity may serve as good predictors of cardiovascular
disease (CVD). This study compared the ability of lipoproteinassociated
phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and anthropometric indices
to discriminate CVD risk among the apparently healthy staff of
Babcock University in Southwest Nigeria.
METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted
among apparently healthy staff. Participants’ weight, height, body
mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC),
neck circumference (NC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height
ratio (WHtR), wrist circumference (WrC), and blood pressure were
measured. Venous blood was collected for Lp-PLA2, lipid profile,
and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) estimation. CVD risk was defined
as the presence of either general obesity or abdominal obesity, diabetes
mellitus, dyslipidaemia, hypertension or smoking. The receiver
operating characteristic curve was used to compare the ability of Lp-
PLA2 and the anthropometric indices to discriminate CVD risk in
male and female participants.
RESULTS: Results showed that 75.7% (106) of the participants
had CVD risk. Anthropometric indices (weight, BMI, WC, HC, NC,
WrC, WHR, and WHtR), FPG, lipid profile and Lp-LPA2 were higher
among participants with CVD risk (p<0.05). Among the men, Lp-
PLA2 had the largest area under the curve (AUC) (AUC= 0.886, p
<0.001), closely followed by BMI (AUC = 0.879, p<0.001), WC
(AUC = 0.864, p<0.001), and WHtR (AUC= 0.866, p<0.001). Among
the women, WHtR had the largest AUC of 0.995 (p<0.001), followed
by WC (AUC = 0.990, p<0.001), BMI (AUC = 0.970, p<0.001),
and Lp-PLA2 (AUC= 0.938, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: The abilities of Lp-PLA2 and anthropometric
indices to predict CVD risk are comparable among the male and female
apparently healthy staff of a private tertiary university in Southwest
Nigeria. WAJM 2023; 40(9): 902–908.
Keywords: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, Anthropometric
indices, Cardiovascular risk, Nigeria.
