July 10, 1991
View Full PaperThe impact of obesity on left ventricular mass and geometry. The Framingham Heart Study
Key Result
Body-mass index was a strong independent predictor of left ventricular mass, wall thickness, and internal dimension after adjusting for age and blood pressure (P<.01 for all).
Study Design
Type
Observational (n=3,922)
Structured PICO
Does obesity independently increase left ventricular mass and alter left ventricular geometry in healthy individuals?
P
Population
3,922 healthy participants of the Framingham Heart Study
I
Intervention
Obesity (measured by body-mass index)
O
Outcome
Left ventricular mass and geometry (including left ventricular wall thickness, left ventricular internal dimension, and prevalence of echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy)surrogate
Obesity is an independent predictor of increased left ventricular mass, wall thickness, and internal dimension, even after adjusting for age and blood pressure.
Main Result
p-value: p=<.01
Abstract
Objective. —To determine the relationship of varying degrees of obesity with left ventricular mass and geometry. Design. —Survey. Setting. —Population-based epidemiologic study. Participants and Methods. —M-mode echocardiograms, which were adequate for estimation of left ventricular mass, were obtained in 3922 healthy participants of the Framingham Heart Study. Measured height and weight were used to calculate body-mass index, a measure of obesity. Results. —Body-mass index was strongly correlated with left ventricular mass. After adjusting for age and blood pressure, body-mass index remained a strong independent predictor of left ventricular mass, left ventricular wall thickness, and left ventricular internal dimension (P2. Conclusions. —Obesity is significantly correlated with left ventricular mass, even after controlling for age and blood pressure. The increase in left ventricular mass associated with increasing adiposity reflects increases in both left ventricular wall thickness and left ventricular internal dimension. (JAMA. 1991;266:231-236)