NECK CIRCUMFERENCE AS AN ANTHROPOMETRIC INDEX OF OBESITY IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES, HYPERTENSION AND DYSLIPIDAEMIA

Background: Obesity is a major contributor to diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. Neck circumference (NC) hasemerged as a simple anthropometric measure reflecting upper-body adiposity and may serve as a practical marker of obesityrelatedmetabolic risk. The present study evaluated NC as an anthropometric index of obesity in patients with diabetes,hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among300 adults attending a tertiary care center. Anthropometric measurements, including NC, body mass index (BMI), waistcircumference (WC), waist–hip ratio (WHR), and body roundness index (BRI), were recorded. Biochemical parameters andmetabolic disorders were assessed. Correlation, logistic regression, linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) analyses were performed. Results: The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia was 52.7%, 43.3%,and 66.3%, respectively. Mean NC was 37.72 ± 2.24 cm. NC showed significant positive correlations with BMI (r=0.511),WC (r=0.470), and BRI (r=0.393) (all p<0.001), and a modest positive correlation with HbA1c (r=0.154, p=0.007).Participants with elevated NC had significantly higher BMI, WC, and BRI. Diabetes and dyslipidaemia were significantlymore prevalent among individuals with elevated NC in both sexes, whereas the association with hypertension was notsignificant. Multivariable analyses identified NC as an independent predictor of diabetes (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.15,p=0.009), dyslipidaemia (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.07–1.24, p<0.001), and HbA1c (β=0.149, p=0.008). BMI demonstrated thehighest predictive ability (AUC 0.71), while NC showed comparable discriminatory performance (AUC 0.63). Conclusion:NC is significantly associated with obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and glycaemic status and independently predictsmetabolic risk. Although its predictive ability is moderate, NC is a simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive anthropometricmeasure that may serve as a useful supplementary screening tool for early identification of obesity-related metabolic risk,particularly diabetes and dyslipidaemia.