Comparative evaluation of hematological parameters and cardiovascular risk scoring in patients applied to obesity outpatient clinic

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to compare hematological- biochemical parameters and cardiovascular risk scoring in patients applied to obesity outpatient clinic. Method: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, data of the patients who applied to the Obesity Outpatient Clinic of Duzce University Research and Application Hospital between 2017 and 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Age, gender, smoking status, presence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and body mass indexes of the patients included in the study were noted; cardiovascular risk of the patients were calculated using scoring system of the European and Turkish cardiology societies (ESC, TSC). Results: 631 participants; 75.1% female and 24.9% male, were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was found to be 38.9±12.1 (min=21, max=65). It was observed that 19.2% of the patients were smokers, 4.6% had DM and 36.9% had insulin resistance. Among the participants; 3.3% of the patients were underweight, 7.3% were normal weight, 22.5% were overweight and 66.9% were obese. According to TSC risk scoring system, 51.4% of the patients were in low risk, 20.5% medium risk and 28.1% high risk categories. According to the ESC risk scoring system, 83.5% of the patients were in low risk, 10.9% medium risk and 5.5% high risk categories. According to both risk scoring systems, there was a significant difference between the risk groups in terms of age, gender, BMI and presence of DM (p<0.001). According to TSC risk score; It was observed that those in the low risk group had a higher platelet/lymphocyte ratio and a lower total cholesterol/HDL ratio. In both scores, there was no correlation found between cardiovascular risk and RDW, MPV, leukocyte count and NLR(Neutrophil-Lymphocte ratio). Conclusion: It is of importance to conduct a risk assessment for patients who apply to primary health care services for obesity counseling. With the cardiovascular risk assessment, some precautions can be taken early. More studies are needed to reveal easily accessible parameters which can predict the cardiovascular risk. KEYWORDS: Obesity, BMI, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, cardiovascular risk scores, hematological parameters