CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 22, No 3, May/June 2011
140
AFRICA
patients.
J Am Coll Cardiol
2006;
47
(6): 1117–1123.
40. Safar H, Mourad JJ, Safar M, Blacher J. Aortic pulse wave velocity, an
independent marker of cardiovascular risk.
Cardiovasc Res
2002;
95
:
1215–1218.
41. O’Rourke MF, Hashimoto J. Mechanical factors in arterial aging: a
clinical perspective.
J Am Coll Cardiol
2007;
50
(1): 1–13.
42. Cameron JD, Bulpitt CJ, Pinto ES, Rajkumar C. The aging of elas-
tic and muscular arteries: a comparison of diabetic and nondiabetic
subjects.
Diabetes Care
2003;
26
(7): 2133–2138.
43. Dart AM, Kingwell BA. Pulse pressure-a review of mechanisms and
clinical relevance.
J Am Coll Cardiol
2001;
37
(4): 975–984.
44. Norata GD, Catapano AL. Molecular mechanisms responsible for the
antiinflammatory and protective effect of HDL on the endothelium.
Vasc Health Risk Manag
2005;
1
(2): 119–129.
45. Lijfering WM, Sprenger HG, Georg RR,
et al
. Relationship between
progression to AIDS and thrombophilic abnormalities in HIV infection.
Clin Chem
2008;
54
(7): 1226–1233.
46. Koppel K, Bratt G, Schulman S,
et al
. Hypofibrinolytic state in HIV-1-
infected patients treated with protease inhibitor-containing highly
active antiretroviral therapy.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
2002;
29
(5):
441–449.
47. James S, Vorster HH, Venter CS,
et al
. Nutritional status influences
plasma fibrinogen concentration: evidence from the THUSA survey.
Thromb Res
2000;
98
(5): 383–394.
48. Vorster HH, Jerling JC, Steyn K,
et al
. Plasma fibrinogen of black South
Africans: the BRISK study.
Public Health Nutr
1998;
1
(3): 169–176.
49. Holzemer WL, Uys L, Makoae L,
et al
. A conceptual model of HIV/
AIDS stigma from five African countries.
J Adv Nurs
2007;
58
(6):
541–551.
50. Greeff M, Phetlhu R, Makoae LN,
et al
. Disclosure of HIV status: expe-
riences and perceptions of persons living with HIV/AIDS and nurses
involved in their care in Africa.
Qual Health Res
2008;
18
(3): 311–324.
51. Kruger A, Greeff M, Watson MJ, Fourie CMT. Health care seeking
behaviour of newly diagnosed HIV infected people from rural and
urban communities in the North West province of South Africa.
Afr J
Nurs Midwifery
200;
11
(2): 30–47.
Letter to the Editor
The metabolic syndrome, anthropometry and
microalbumin
Dear Sir
I read the recent article on the metabolic syndrome, anthro-
pometry and microalubmin with great interest.
1
Hoebel
et al
.
concluded that ‘vascular BP, TG and WC were associated with
risk of renal impairment in males, while in females, NC and WC
were associated with this risk’.
1
I have some comments on this article. First, the authors
should have discussed whether the observed association was by
chance or not. Indeed, although BMI might relate to other medi-
cal disorders grouped under the metabolic syndrome, there is
no direct biophysiological process that links anthropometry and
microalbuminuria.
2
Second, the question of quality control in the laboratories
used for the assays presented in this article should be questioned,
since there are many factors that could affect the measurement of
blood glucose, lipids and microalbumin. Many other confound-
ing factors such as occult medical disorders could also have
affected the laboratory results presented in this report.
VIROJ WIWANITKIT,
Bangkhae, Bangkok, Thailand
References
1.
Hoebel S, De Ridder JH, Malan L. The association between anthro-
pometric parameters, the metabolic syndrome and microalbuminuria
in black Africans: the SABPA study.
Cardiovasc J Afr
2010;
21
(3):
148–152.
2.
Muttur D, Subratty A, Jowaheer V, Joonus N. Analyzing anthropometry
and metabolic variables associated with microalbumin and C-reactive
protein as markers of early glomerular dysfunction among Mauritian
patients suffering from type II diabetes.
Internet J LabMed
2010;
4
(1): 1.
