OBESE HYPERTENSIVE RABBITS DEVELOP CONCENTRIC AND ECCENTRIC HYPERTROPHY AND DIASTOLIC FILLING ABNORMALITIES

We have developed a new small animal model of obesity in which rabbits fed a high fat diet develop abnormalities in common with obese humans , including left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Using M-mode and two di mensional Doppler echocardiography we examined the characteristics of LV hypertrophy and diastolic function in obese and lean rabbits. Obese rabbits had greater interventricular septum and LV posterior wall thi cknesses and greater LV internal end-diastolic and end-systolic diamet ers. Functionally, obese rabbits had higher A/E ratios. Similarly to o bese humans, obese hypertensive rabbits develop combined concentric an d eccentric LV hypertrophy and diastolic filling abnormalities. Theref ore, this model may be valuable in the study of the development and pa thology of obesity-related LV hypertrophy. (C) 1997 American Journal o f Hypertension, Ltd.