Atherosclerosis accounts for a large proportion of cardiovascular system associated morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study is to know the relationship between atherosclerosis of various arteries and anthropometric indices with the help of simple indicators of obesity such as body weight, body length, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness and wrist circumference. The study included 100 autopsies conducted in the Government Medical College, Thrissur during a one and a half years period. The heart was dissected following standard autopsy protocol. A 5 cm section of the right coronary artery (RCA) in the atrio-ventricular groove from its origin, a 5 cm segment of the left anterior descending artery (LADA) distal to the origin of the circumflex artery (including the region of origin of the circumflex branch) and left coronary artery (LCA) from its origin till the circumflex branch were excised, marked for identification and histopathologically analysed. The study showed a positive correlation of age, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio and abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness with atherosclerotic changes in the various arteries. No significant relation was observed between the grade of atherosclerosis and anthropometric indices of height, hip circumference and wrist circumference.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Body Mass Index; Hip Circumference; Waist Circumference; Waist Hip Ratio.