CORRELATION OF NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WITH HBA1C AND TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus carries a heavy burden of glycaemic and lipid disturbance, and upper-body fat measured through neck circumference has been tied to insulin resistance. Evidence on its relationship with metabolic control in Pakistani diabetic patients is limited. Objective: To determine the correlation of neck circumference with HbA1c and triglyceride levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Medicine, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, over three months on 193 patients with type 2 diabetes selected through consecutive sampling. Neck circumference was measured with a non-stretchable tape, HbA1c by high-performance liquid chromatography, and triglyceride level by an automated enzymatic colourimetric method. Normality was checked with the Shapiro-Wilk test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was applied. Analysis was done in SPSS version 27, and statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The mean age was 52.80 ± 9.18 years and the mean neck circumference was 35.66 ± 3.16 cm. Mean HbA1c was 8.14 ± 1.38% and the mean triglyceride level was 164.90 ± 46.55 mg/dL. Neck circumference correlated positively with HbA1c (r = 0.349, 95% CI 0.197 to 0.484, p < 0.001) and with triglyceride level (r = 0.288, 95% CI 0.131 to 0.431, p < 0.001). The associations stayed significant across most subgroups defined by age, sex, and comorbidity. Conclusion: Neck circumference showed a significant positive correlation with HbA1c and triglyceride levels and may be a useful adjunct screening measure in type 2 diabetes mellitus.