Waist Circumference as a potential indicator of cardiac autonomic profile in Metabolic Syndrome - A cross-sectional study.

Introduction - Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a global epidemic on the rise, affects about one-third of the global population. MetS poses significant cardiovascular risk often assessed through the cardiac autonomic function test Heart Rate Variability (HRV). This study attempts to identify a suitable anthropometric or biochemical proxy for resource-intensive HRV to assess cardiac autonomic profile in primary and community healthcare setups. Methodology - This cross-section study assessed relevant anthropometric, biochemical, and HRV parameters of 174 patients recently diagnosed with MetS. Results - Waist circumference (WC) had a significant (p<0.05) moderate to strong (r=0.49) positive correlation with sympathetic predominant HRV parameters - LFnu and LF/HF ratio. Parasympathetically modulated HRV parameters like Average RR (r=-0.17), rMSSD (r=-0.23), and HF (r=-0.49) had a significant (p<0.05) negative correlation with WC. Conclusion - The study identifies WC as a suitable indicator for cardiac autonomic profile in patients with MetS and by extension of cardiovascular posed by the disease. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethics Committee of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India (DHR Reg: EC/NEW/Inst/2020/1046 CDSCO Reg: ECR/736/Inst/UK/2015/RR-21) gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.