Neck size useful in screening for metabolic syndrome

Neck circumference aids in the detection of metabolic syndrome in adults, a study reports.

The study, which was conducted in Iran, involved 1,619 participants recruited through clustered random sampling. Logistic regression facilitated evaluation of associations between neck circumference and metabolic syndrome and its components.

A total of 433 participants (26.7 percent) were found to have metabolic syndrome. Neck circumference showed significant associations with central obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia, impaired fasting glucose, low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and metabolic syndrome.

Based on the Youden index, the optimal cutoff points of neck circumference for diagnosing metabolic syndrome were 36 cm for women and 42 cm for men. The sensitivity of these values differed by sex, such that the cutoff point for women had greater sensitivity compared with that for men (70.6 percent vs 55.9 percent).

The present data suggest that neck circumference can be offered as a new index in screening and diagnosis for metabolic syndrome, as well as evaluating cardiometabolic risk factors.

Compared with waist circumference, neck circumference has strong points. First, measuring it is easy and accessible—above the cricoid cartilage and perpendicular to the long axis of the neck. Also, there is no need to make multiple measurements to be sure about its accuracy. [J Endocrinol Metab Diabetes S Afr 2014;19:106-112; J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010;95:3701-3710]