A Body Shape Index and Body Roundness Index: Two New Body Indices to Identify left Ventricular Hypertrophy among Rural Populations in Northeast China

BackgroundRecently, two new anthropometric indices, the A Body Shape Index (ABSI) and Body Roundness Index (BRI) have been developed as possible improved alternatives to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). The main research aim is to assess the capacity of the ABSI and BRI to identify subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and the secondary aim is to determine whether ABSI and / or BRI is superior to BMI, WC, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).Methods and ResultsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among the rural population in northeast China and finally included 10,907 participants. Pearson rank test showed that BRI showed the highest correlation coefficient for LVH. Body Roundness Index had the highest AUCs for eccentric and concentric LVH (AUC: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.72-0.75; AUC: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.64-0.70, respectively). A multivariate logistic regression analysis also showed that BRI was the best predictor of eccentric and concentric LVH (OR: 5.11, 95% CI: 3.62-7.22; OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.40-4.40, respectively). In the five anthropometric indices, only BRI had predictive ability for concentric LVH.ConclusionsWe have shown that BRI, not ABSI was superior measure compared to BMI, WC and WHtR for determining the presence of LVH, especially for eccentric LVH.