Predictive value of waist-to-hip ratio on cardiovascular risk events

A central distribution of adipose tissue is frequently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors. Clinical usefulness of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) for predicting the risk of cardiovascular events, estimated with models based on data from the Framingham and Prospective Cardiovascular Münster (PROCAM) studies was evaluated. These were 552 men and 160 women, asymptomatic and at risk for CVD, aged 30-74 y, recruited from an ongoing risk factor screening program conducted at worksites. Abdominal fatness was a strong predictor of cardiovascular complications in subjects whose WHR was in the top quintile (> 0.98 for men and > 0.91 for women). The estimated percentage rate of coronary heart disease (CHD, P