Influence of obesity on left ventricular morphology

BACKGROUND: TO analyze the relationship between obesity in its different de grees and the left ventricle morphology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: M-mode echocardiography was used to estimate the mass , wall thickness and internal dimension of left ventricle in 48 obese women with different degrees of obesity, defined according to the body mass inde x. 25 women with normal weight were used as controls. RESULTS: The body mass index was correlated with left ventricular mass, as well as with both the wall thickness of the left ventricle and its diastoli c internal dimension. The abnormalities in the heart morphology increased a ccording to the obesity degree, ranging from a 59% in the lesser obesity gr oup up to a 100% in the more obese women. The incidence of the left ventric ular hypertrophy determined by echocardiography also increased along with t he body mass index, ranging from a 29% in the lesser degree of obesity wome n up to an 82% in the patients with a body mass index > 35 kg/m(2). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, even in its lowest degrees, shows frequent alteration s in the heart morphology. This is related with a left ventricular mass inc rease and a higher incidence of the left ventricular hypertrophy. The left ventricular mass increase is due to an increase in the left ventricular wal ls thickness and also to a dilatation of its cavity.