OBJECTIVETo verify the optimal cut-off points for overweight and obesity in Chinese adults based on the relationship of baseline body mass index (BMI) to all-cause mortality, and incidence of cardiovascular diseases from pooled data of Chinese cohorts.

METHODSThe prospective study data of existing cohort studies in China were collected, and the age-adjusted all-cause mortality stratified by BMI were estimated. The similar analysis was repeated after excluding deaths within the first three years of follow-up and after excluding smokers. The incidence of age-adjusted coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke stratified by BMI were also analyzed. Multiple Cox regression coefficients of BMI for the incidence of CHD and stroke after controlling other risk factors were pooled utilizing the methods of weighting by inverse of variance to reveal whether BMI had independent effect and its strength on the incidence of CHD and stroke.

RESULTSThe data of 4 cohorts including 76,227 persons, with 745,346 person-years of follow-up were collected and analyzed. The age-adjusted all-cause mortality stratified by BMI showed a U-shaped curve, even after excluding deaths within the first three years of follow-up and excluding smokers. Age-adjusted all-cause mortality increased when BMI was lower than 18.5 and higher than 28. The incidence of CHD and stroke, especially ishemic stroke increased with increasing BMI, this was consistent with parallel increasing of risk factors. Cox regression analysis showed that BMI was an independent risk factor for both CHD and stroke. Each amount of 2 kg/m2 increase in baseline BMI might cause 15.4%, 6.1% and 18.8% increase in relative risk of CHD, total stroke and ischemic stroke. Reduction of BMI to under 24 might prevent the incidence of CHD by 11% and that of stroke by 15% for men, and 22% of both diseases for women.

CONCLUSIONBMI < or = 18.5, 24-27.9 and > or = 28 (kg/m2) is the appropriate cut-off points for underweight, overweight and obesity in Chinese adults.

Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; mortality ; Cause of Death ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; complications ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Stroke ; epidemiology ; etiology ; mortality

Acute Disease ; Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Female ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology

Dust ; analysis ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; Pneumoconiosis ; epidemiology ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVEFor prevention of obesity in Chinese population, it is necessary to define the optimal range of healthy weight and the appropriate cut-off points of BMI and waist circumference for Chinese adults. The Working Group on Obesity in China under the support of International Life Sciences Institute Focal point in China organized a meta-analysis on the relation between BMI, waist circumference and risk factors of related chronic diseases (e.g., high diabetes, diabetes mellitus, and lipoprotein disorders).

METHODS13 population studies in all met the criteria for enrollment, with data of 239,972 adults (20-70 year) surveyed in the 1990s. Data on waist circumference was available for 111,411 persons and data on serum lipids and glucose were available for more than 80,000. The study populations located in 21 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in mainland China as well as in Taiwan. Each enrolled study provided data according to a common protocol and uniform format. The Center for data management in Department of Epidemiology, Fu Wai Hospital was responsible for statistical analysis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and clustering of risk factors all increased with increasing levels of BMI or waist circumference. BMI at 24 with best sensitivity and specificity for identification of the risk factors, was recommended as the cut-off point for overweight, BMI at 28 which may identify the risk factors with specificity around 90% was recommended as the cut-off point for obesity. Waist circumference beyond 85 cm for men and beyond 80 cm for women were recommended as the cut-off points for central obesity. Analysis of population attributable risk percent illustrated that reducing BMI to normal range (< 24) could prevent 45%-50% clustering of risk factors. Treatment of obese persons (BMI > or = 28) with drugs could prevent 15%-17% clustering of risk factors. The waist circumference controlled under 85 cm for men and under 80 cm for women, could prevent 47%-58% clustering of risk factors. According to these, a classification of overweight and obesity for Chinese adults is recommended.

Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; China ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; classification ; complications ; ethnology ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Thorax ; anatomy & histology

Since 1959 the investigations on prevalence of hypertension and studies on the prevention and treatment of this disease have been carried out. The vascular mechanism of hypertension and the depressor effect of Chinese traditional herbs were also studied in Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The results revealed that: (1) The prevalence of hypertension in Chinese adults increased from 7.73% in 1979 to 11.26% in 1991, both much higher than that in 1959 (5.11%). The rate of awareness, treatment and control was only 26.3%, 12.1%, and 2.8% respectively. The risk factors of hypertension included overweight and alcohol drinking. High sodium, low potassium, low calcium, and low animal protein diet were also very important risk for elevation of blood pressure. Hypertension was the most important causal risk factor of coronary heart disease and stroke. (2) Hypertension diagnosis and staging criteria were established in 1959. Secondary hypertension was found to constitute 1.1% among community hypertensive patients. The new concept of aortitis was formed and found to be the most common cause of renal vascular hypertension. Patient education together with low dose compounds of antihypertensive drugs was implicated widely. Randomized clinical trials Syst-China, Post-stroke Antihypertensive Treatment Study, Chinese Acute Stroke Trial, and Chinese Cardiac Study 1 demonstrated benefits of treatment for hypertensive, stroke or acute myocardial infarction affordable by Chinese population at large. (3) A series of functional changes and abnormalities with evident hereditary characteristics were found in the processes of cellular Ca2+ transportation, utilization, metabolism and their modulation of the vascular smooth muscle in SHR, and SHRsp, which seem to be the principal cause of the increase in peripheral vascular resistance in hypertension. (4) Alkaloid of Rauwolfia verticilata and Ligustrazine had marked depressor effect. Flavones of Radix Pueraricae could reduce the cardiac and cerebral ischemic damage and symptoms in hypertensive patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Prevalence

Adenosine Triphosphate ; Atropine ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography, Stress ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Myocardial Ischemia ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology

OBJECTIVEMetabolic syndrome has attracted more attention from scientists of related areas due to its association with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The clinical identification criteria for metabolic syndrome issued by ATP III of NECP indicate the enlarged waist as the first component using the cut-offs derived from Caucasians. The purpose of this study is to investigate the appropriate cut-offs of waist circumference for Chinese adults as a component of metabolic syndrome.

METHODSDatabase of 13732 Chinese adults with 35 - 59 years from the risk factor survey in 1998 (the 9(th) Five Year National Project on trends and prediction of cardiovascular disease) was used to analyze the ORs of clustering of risk components by different strata of waist circumference. The sensitivity, specificity and distance in ROC curve by different cut-offs of waist circumference for identifying two or more risk components of metabolic syndrome were estimated to find the cut-off point for men and women with the shortest distance in ROC curve.

RESULTSThe ORs of clustering of risk components increased significantly with the size of waist circumference. The waist circumference (>/= 85 cm for men, >/= 80 cm for women) corresponded to the shortest distance in ROC curve, namely, at these cut-offs, the rates of false positive and false negative for identifying clustering of two or more risk components were the minimum.

CONCLUSIONSIf a person had three or more of the following components, metabolic syndrome could be defined: waist circumference >/= 85 cm in men or >/= 80 cm in women, SBP >/= 130 mm Hg or DBP >/= 85 mm Hg, TG >/= 1.69 mmol/L, HDL-C < 1.03 mmol/L and fasting blood glucose >/= 6.1 mmol/L. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 19.3% and 13.9% in middle-aged men and women respectively. In these patients the combination of enlarged waist, high blood pressure and high TG was the most frequent. This recommendation need further confirmed in representative sample of Chinese population.

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Pressure ; China ; epidemiology ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; blood ; epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Waist Circumference

OBJECTIVETo assess the relationship of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with clustering of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODSA total of 30 561 participants aged 35 - 59 from different parts of China were surveyed for risk factors of CVD in two independent cross-sectional studies carried out in 1992 - 1994 and 1998. Data were pooled to analyze clustering rate of risk factors for CVD and relative risk of their clustering at varied levels of BMI and WC. Clustering of other risk factors for CVD was defined as any participant who had any two or more risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high serum total cholesterol, low HDL-C, high fasting plasma glucose. Clustering rate of other risk factors for CVD at different levels of BMI and WC was estimated.

RESULTSClustering rate of other risk factors for CVD significantly increased with rising of BMI and WC. In most of varied BMI groups, clustering rate of other risk factor increased with rise of WC in both men and women (P value for trend < 0.05), and in most of varied WC groups, clustering rate of other risk factor significantly increased with rise of BMI (P value for trend < 0.05). Clustering rate of other risk factors for CVD adjusted for age was 11.1% and 10.4% with BMI < 24.0 kg/m(2) and WC < 85/80 cm, 24.0% and 17.0% with BMI of 24 - 27.9 kg/m(2) and WC < 85/80 cm, 34.3% and 24.0% with BMI of 24 - 27.9 kg/m(2) and WC of 85 - 95.9/80 - 89.9 cm, 40.8% and 29.6% with BMI of 24 - 27.9 kg/m(2) and WC >/= 95/90 cm, 44.2% and 29.9% with BMI >/= 28 kg/m(2) and WC of 85 - 95.9/80 - 89.9 cm, and 54.7% and 35.4% with BMI >/= 28 kg/m(2) and WC >/= 95/90 cm, for men and women, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSBMI and WC were independently and positively associated with clustering rate of other risk factors for CVD. It is very important for health to keep both BMI and WC in normal level.

Body Constitution ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; etiology ; Cluster Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; complications ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in radial head subluxation (RHS).Methods The clinical data and ultrasonographic findings of 34 children with RHS were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were routinely treated by bilateral compared and multi-sectional elbow joints ultrasonography.And the X ray results were negative.Results Ultrasonographic manifestations of RHS included increased radiocapitellar distance in 29 cases (29/34,85.29％);widened joint space and enhanced echo in 25 cases (25/34,73.53％);hook sign,supinator muscle above the radial head in 32 cases (32/34,94.12 ％);annular ligament entrapment in 33 cases (33/34,97.06％).Conclusion Ultra sonographic manifestations of RHS have certain characteristics.Comparation of bilateral elbow joints and the application of continuous scanning ultrasound are helpful to make a quick and accurate diagnosis of X-ray negative RHS.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of coronary artery Z-scores on echocardiography in diagnosing coronary artery abnormalities. Methods The echocardiography results of 612 patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) at the acute and recovery phase were retrospectively studied. Coronary artery luminal diameters were converted to body-surface-area-adjusted Z-scores. According to coronary Z-scores classiifcation, all the subjects were divided to four groups:415 cases with no dilation (ND), 133 cases with small coronary artery abnormalities (SCAAs), 47 cases with large coronary artery abnormalities (LCAAs), and 17 cases with giant coronary artery abnormalities (GCAAs). Clinical features (gender, age, typical clinical manifestations, fever duration) and laboratory results (CRP, ESR, WBC, PLT) were compared among all the four groups. Coronary artery diameters and the Z-scores were compared between acute and convalescence phase. Results Along with the increase of coronary Z-score, fever duration was prolonged [ND group:(7.75±3.12) d, SCAAs group (8.50±4.12) d, LCAAs group: (8.57±3.58) d, GCAAs group: (11.88±4.33) d, F=22.375, P<0.05]. With coronary Z-score increasing, PLT also increased (F=22.029, P=0.000), and the highest PLT was observed in GCAAs group. There were no significant differences in the CRP, ESR and WBC among all the four groups (F=0.236, 1.116, 0.121, all P>0.05). No significant different coronary diameters were found in ND cases between recovery and acute phase [(2.24±0.34) mm vs (2.33±0.36) mm, t=1.926, P > 0.05]. But there were significant difference in the coronary Z-scores of ND patients between recovery and acute phase (0.41±0.82 vs 1.17±0.75, t=8.332, P < 0.05). The coronary Z-scores in SCAAs group (1.32±0.89 vs 3.40±0.62, t=11.073, P < 0.05), LCAAs group (3.12±2.27 vs 6.20±1.28, t=4.579, P<0.05) and GCAAs group (11.88±6.77 vs 20.4±9.70, t=3.480, P<0.05) at recovery phase were smaller than values at acute phase. Conclusions The KD coronary Z-scores are the body-surface-area-adjusted standard value, and not subject to the influence of children growth and development. Therefore, it may accurately evaluate the severity of coronary artery abnormalities and its recovery process. Accurate quantitative of the coronary artery luminal dimensions is important in KD clinical management and prognosis prediction.