Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of auscultation by general practitioners for the prediction of significant valvular heart disease (VHD), according to body mass index (BMI) above and below the upper limit of ‘healthy weight’ as defined by the World Health Organization (25 kg/m2)
| BMI <25 kg/m2 | BMI ≥25 kg/m2 | P values for difference between groups | |
| n | 86 | 165 | |
| Significant VHD | 21 (24%) | 15 (9%) | 0.002 |
| Sensitivity | 57% (34%–78%) | 27% (8%–55%) | 0.40 |
| Specificity | 71% (58%–81%) | 69% (61%–76%) | 0.99 |
| Positive predictive value | 39% (22%–58%) | 8% (2%–19%) | 0.01 |
| Negative predictive value | 84% (71%–92%) | 90% (83%–95%) | 0.84 |
| Positive likelihood ratio | 1.95 (1.15–3.32) | 0.85 (0.36–2.04) | 0.11 |
| Negative likelihood ratio | 0.61 (0.36–1.02) | 1.07 (0.77–1.48) | 0.07 |
P values are for the differences between groups (BMI <25 vs ≥25) and are based on χ2 test, with the exception of Cochran’s Q test for likelihood ratios.