Evaluation of E: I Ratio and Electrocardiographic Changes during Breath Holding in Overweight Young Males

Background: It is well established fact that the obesity is one of the crucial risk factors for many diseases.The cause of obesity in Indian adolescent and young adults is intake of excessive calories and sedentary lifestyle. The majority of studies revealed that obesity might be responsible for derangements in the balancebetween sympathetic and parasympathetic out flow. QT prolongation has been reported more than 28 percentof obese persons. Therefore in present study we examined the changes in QTc after stimulation of vagusnerve through breath holding.Methods: This study was conducted on 76 volunteers including normal weight male subjects (Controlgroup) and overweight /obese subjects (study group). . Participants were kept in lying position and ECGwas recorded in three stages: (1) Rest state, (2) Breath - Holding state, (3) After breath holding state. E: Iratio was calculated as per standard protocol.Results: During breath holding, the heart rate decreases significantly (P < 0.01) in both the groups, thealteration in QRS complex and QTc was also observed but difference in decrease in these parameters wasnot statistically significant between two groups. E: I ratio was with in normal limits.Conclusion: Data from our study showed no significant change in parasympathetic arm of autonomicnervous system. Further studies with large sample size are needed to support this elucidation