Visceral Adiposity Index in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Its Correlation With Microvascular Complications

Background Obesity, specifically abdominal obesity, is a major risk factor for diabetes. A strong association has been marked between diabetes and obesity. Many abdominal obesity indices have been established, including waist circumference (WC), BMI, and a new tool, the visceral adiposity index (VAI). However, very limited research highlights the association of these anthropometric parameters and VAI to the various microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). The objective of this study is to investigate the association of VAI with microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy in type 2 DM (T2DM) patients. Methodology Data from Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital (AVBRH) was analyzed in this case-control study with a sample size of 250 patients consisting of 125 cases and 125 controls. The cases and controls were age- and gender-matched. BMI and WC were measured in these patients, and the VAI was calculated. These anthropometric parameters were then analyzed to estimate their correlation with the microvascular complications of T2DM. Results The mean age of cases in this study was 58.37 ± 12.08 years and that of controls was 57.61 ± 14.51 years. Anthropometric parameters, namely, BMI, WC, and VAI were raised in cases as compared with controls, and they showed significant statistical relation with diabetes (for BMI, P = 0.003; for WC, P = 0.001 for males and P = 0.002 for females; and for VAI, P = 0.005). A significant correlation was noted in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (P = 0.017 for males and P = 0.0004 for females) and triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.0001) between cases and controls. On distributing the male and female cases in quartiles, it was observed that with increasing quartiles, VAI increased significantly and was associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. When the anthropometric parameters and VAI were compared with the total microvascular complications and the receiver operating characteristic curve studied, VAI had the maximum AUC (AUC for VAI was 0.826, WC was 0.813, and BMI was 0.806). Univariate analysis of the various microvascular complications showed that WC, BMI, HDL, TGs, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were all significantly correlated to the microvascular complications in T2DM patients. Conclusions As the VAI was significantly raised in T2DM patients and also seen to be significantly associated with microvascular complications, it could be used as a screening tool for T2DM patients.