Impact of obesity on the left ventricular functions and morphology of healthy Asian Indians.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of obesity on alteration of left ventricular (LV) functions and morphology in nondiabetic, nonhypertensive, and normo-lipidemic obese Asian Indians. A total of 239 consecutive Asian Indians (175 males and 64 females, ages 17-64 years) were divided into obese and nonobese groups based on body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip circumference ratio (W-HR), and percentage of body fat (%BF).

Methods: Anthropometry (BMI, W-HR), %BF, and two-dimensional echocardiography including tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed for all the subjects. The unpaired t-test was applied after matching age and gender in all the comparison groups. Nonobese subjects acted as controls for the obese subjects (cases).

Results: Obese subjects had a larger LV end-diastolic diameter (P < 0.001), LV end-systolic diameter (P < 0.001), and LV mass (P < 0.001) as compared to the nonobese subjects. Subclinical systolic dysfunction was apparent in obese subjects only on TDI in the form of reduced systolic mitral annular velocity (P = 0.009). Diastolic dysfunction, as suggested by a lower ratio of early to late transmitral ventricular filling velocity (E/A), lower early to late (Em/Am) diastolic mitral annular velocity, and a higher E/Em ratio (P < 0.001, p = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), was noted in the obese cohort. In addition, the left atrial diameter (P < 0.001) was also increased in obese subjects. Alteration of LV morphology and function correlated with the anthropometric variables BMI, W-HR, and %BF.

Conclusions: Asian Indians with uncomplicated obesity (without associated co-morbidities) had significant morphological and functional cardiac dysfunction (systolic and diastolic), which correlated with anthropometric variables.