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Background:    The study evaluated association of new obesity indices – waist-to-hip ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), visceral adiposity index (VAI) and classical obesity parameters: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) – with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a cardiovascular risk factor in obese patients.
    Material/Methods:    Sixty-six adult obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) non-diabetic out-clinic patients (F/M – 40/26), aged 55.8±11.6 years, were divided into 3 groups according to hs-CRP serum levels: A – ≤1 mg/L (n=11), B – 1 to 3 mg/L (n=27), and C – >3 mg/L (n=28). Additionally, we divided all the patients into 2 groups: treated with statins/fibrates (n=37) and untreated (n=29).
    Results:    In group C, WHtR was significantly higher compared to group B (0.71±0.07 vs. 0.66±0.06; p<0.05) and group A (0.71±0.07 vs. 0.64±0.06; p<0.05); BMI was significantly higher than in group A (37.9±5.3 kg/m2 vs. 33.4±1.8 37.9±5.3 kg/m2; p<0.05); and BAI was significantly higher compared to group B (41.8±8.0 vs. 37.3±5.4; p<0.05) and group A (41.8±8.0 vs. 33.3±5.9; p<0.01).
        We found significant correlation between hs-CRP and: BMI in all study populations (r=0.306; p<0.01) and in the untreated group (r=0.374; p<0.05); WHtR in all study population (r= 0.321; p<0.01) and in the untreated group (r=0.468; p<0.01); BAI in general study population (r=0.394; p<0.01), in treated (r=0.361;p<0.05) and untreated groups (r=0.396; p<0.05); VAI in treated group (r=0.365; p<0.05).
    Conclusions:    WHtR and BAI, in contrast to VAI, better correlate with hs-CRP than classical abdominal obesity parameters, and thus may be more sensitive and valuable predictors of cardiovascular risk.

Keywords: obesity indices, hs-CRP, cardiovascular risk