A Review of Neck Circumference As a Potent Anthropometric Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity is considered to be a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to investigate the associations of neck circumference (NC) with cardiovascular diseases and MetS in adults.  This review was conducted via searching in databases such as Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar using various keywords, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, neck circumference, waist circumference, obesity, metabolic syndrome components, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure. The search aimed to retrieve the articles published during 2000-July 2017. The inclusion criteria were adults aged more than 18 years, obesity-related parameters, and a clear demarcation of MetS in the adults.  In total, six eligible studies evaluating 5,041 adults aged 20-85 years were included in the analysis. NC showed high sensitivity in the detection of high body mass index and MetS demarcation. In addition, NC had a strong diagnostic precision for the recognition of overweight and obesity, while it could also predict MetS in adults and elderly individuals.  Neck circumference could be considered as a valid and reliable predictor of metabolic syndrome in adult population.