Clinical Scorecard: Evaluating the Relationship and Diagnostic Utility of Body Roundness Index in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• BRI is significantly associated with risk of multiple CKM-related outcomes, especially metabolic syndrome.
• BRI shows good discriminatory ability for metabolic abnormalities but limited predictive ability for chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and mortality.
• BRI provides incremental risk stratification information beyond conventional anthropometric indices like BMI and waist circumference.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Use BRI as a complementary anthropometric measure to assess visceral fat and improve risk identification of metabolic abnormalities within CKM syndrome.
• Consider BRI alongside traditional indices (BMI, waist circumference) for a more precise evaluation of body fat distribution.

Management

• Incorporate BRI-based risk stratification to guide early intervention strategies targeting metabolic dysfunction to delay CKM progression.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Monitor changes in BRI over time to assess visceral fat accumulation and adjust management plans accordingly.

Risks

• Relying solely on BMI may lead to overdiagnosis or misclassification due to inability to capture fat distribution heterogeneity.
• BRI’s predictive value for CKD, CVD, and mortality requires further validation before routine clinical use.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Adults across diverse global populations at risk for or with CKM-related metabolic, renal, and cardiovascular conditions

BRI can enhance risk stratification and identification of high-risk individuals, particularly for metabolic syndrome, supporting targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Clinical Best Practices

• Use BRI in conjunction with conventional anthropometric measures to improve assessment of visceral adiposity and cardiometabolic risk.
• Apply BRI for early detection of metabolic abnormalities to enable timely management and reduce progression to advanced CKM stages.
• Interpret BRI results within the context of patient gender and specific CKM outcomes due to variability in association strength.
• Support further prospective cohort studies to establish long-term predictive value and clinical utility of BRI across populations.

Related Resources & Content

• Systematic review registration