Changes in cardiac structure with increasing adipose tissue mass

To determine the structural changes in left ventricle in moderate to severe obesity,46 normotensive,healthy obese subjects (16 men and 30 women mean±se age 36.87±1.31 years; body mass index 36.46±0.57 kg/m 2) and 41 normotensive,normal weight volunteers,16 men and 25 women,matched for age and sex distribution were studied by 2-dimensional and m-mode echocardiography. mean arterial pressure (map) was higher normal in obese than in normal weight control subjects (mean±se 90.05±0.89 mmhg vs 94.65±0.82 mmhg,p<0.001). it was directly correlated with lv mass/height index in obese subjects (p<0.02). sum of posterior wall thickness (pwt) and interventricular septal thickness (ivst) known as wall thickness (swt) was significantly increased in obese than in control subjects (p< 0.001). lv internal diastolic diameter/height index (lvidd/height index) was significantly increased in obese than in control subjects (p<0.001) and was directly correlated with lvmass/height index (< 0.001). but the ratio of swt to lv internal diastolic diameter/height index (swt divided by lv1dd/height index) known as relative wall thickness or rwt did not show difference between the two groups (p = 0.512). lv mass/height index was higher in obese than in normal weight subjects (p< 0.001,highly significant). bmi was directly correlated with lv mass/height index (r=0.724,p-<0.001),showing positive relationship between lvmass index and body mass index. lvmass increases as obesity becomes more severe and the mean arterial pressure (map) tends to increase with increasing lv mass/height index.