Echocardiographic Abnormalities in Normotensive Obese Patients: Relationship with Visceral Fat

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2002-06, Vol.10 (6), p.489-498
• Main Authors: Morricone, Lelio, Malavazos, Alexis Elias, Coman, Calin, Donati, Cristina, Hassan, Tamin, Caviezel, Francesco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; Adult; Blood Pressure; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; computed tomography; diabetes; echocardiographic abnormalities; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; Female; Fluoroscopy; Glucose Intolerance; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity - diagnostic imaging; Obesity - physiopathology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Viscera; visceral adipose tissue
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1071-7323; 1930-739X; 1550-8528
• DOI: 10.1038/oby.2002.67

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of echocardiographic characteristics and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) distribution in normotensive obese patients. Research Methods and Procedures: Echocardiographic parameters were assessed in 28 normotensive obese patients [7 men, 21 women, mean age, 43.2 years; mean body mass index (BMI), 37.2 kg/m2; 10 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT); 6 with type 2 diabetes] and 18 sex‐ and age‐matched healthy, normal‐weight controls (4 men, 14 women; mean age, 45.8 years; mean BMI, 22.4 kg/m2) by an M‐mode, color‐doppler videofluoroscope. VAT in the obese patients was assessed by computed tomography (at L4 level). Results: The obese patients had a significantly larger internal diastolic left ventricular (LV) diameter (p < 0.05), a thicker end‐diastolic septum (p < 0.001) and posterior wall (p < 0.001), a greater indexed (g/m2.7) LV mass (p < 0.001), a higher atrial diastolic filling wave velocity (p < 0.001), a lower ratio between early and atrial diastolic filling wave velocities (p < 0.01), and a prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (p < 0.05). End‐diastolic septum and posterior wall thickness and the LV mass were significantly greater in patients with a VAT area >130 cm2 than with