Hypertriglyceridemic waist in early pregnancy as a clinical marker of visceral fat and metabolic abnormality

Abstract

Introduction: The increase of abdominal fat at the beginning of the pregnancy predisposes to cardiometabolic risks. The combinations of waist circumference equal or bigger than 88 cm as an expression of abdominal adipose, jointly with the increase of tryglicerides over 150 mg/dL, confirms the presence of the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype as an indicator of cardiovascular risk.
Objectives: Determine the predictive capacity of the abdominal fat measured by ultrasonography in relation with the upward levels of waist cirmcumference and the seric values of triglycerides to identify the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype in pregnant women with adequate weight at the beginning of pregnancy.
Methods: Cross-sectional study in 271 healthy pregnant women with adequate weight whom attend by chance to the consultation of pregnancy checking, and who are classified in four groups according to the previously established levels regarding waist circumference, and in eight subgroups according to the triglycerides ́ seric levels.
Results: There was predominance of the group with waist’s circumference values under 5 cm and triglycerides values lower than 1,7 mmol/L. This value was higher given the increase of the value of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
Conclusions: The high values of abdominal fat in healthy pregnant women with normal weight match with the increase in the values of waist circumference and tryclicerydes, which were higher while the visceral fat ́s value increased and this made possible to identify the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype.