Large extracoronary artery diameter in obese postmenopausal women

In Brief Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between extracoronary artery diameter (brachial and carotid arteries) and obesity. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among women referred to the Menopause Clinic of the University of Catanzaro. The study included 102 obese and 102 nonobese (controls) postmenopausal women. Medical histories were reviewed, and participants underwent clinical and biochemical evaluations to assess risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Common carotid artery and brachial artery diameters and atherosclerotic lesions were evaluated by ultrasonography. Associations between brachial artery and common carotid artery diameters with age, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed by stepwise multivariate analysis. Results: Brachial and common carotid artery diameters were significantly greater in obese women than in nonobese women. After adjustment for confounding variables, brachial artery diameter but not common carotid artery diameter correlated with obesity (β = 0.229, P = 0.002) and with waist circumference (β = 0.013, P < 0.001) independently of systolic blood pressure and other risk factors. Conclusions: Extracoronary artery diameter measurement, if confirmed by other studies, may be considered a useful tool to assess vascular remodeling in obese postmenopausal women. This study shows a correlation between obesity and, in particular, waist circumference and brachial artery diameter, a surrogate measure of endothelial dysfunction. Obese women and women with larger waist circumference had larger brachial diameter, emphasizing the role of visceral fat in artery remodeling.