ARTERIAL STIFFNESS ASSESSMENT IN ABDOMINALLY OBESE INDIVIDUALS: INSIGHTS FROM CLINICAL OBESITY PHENOTYPES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22551/yvtn4902Abstract
Precise cardiovascular risk assessment remains challenging, especially amidst the dynamic interplay of factors like abdominal obesity, inadequate physical activity and imbalanced diet. This study aims to assess subclinical atherosclerosis in apparently healthy individuals with excess weight, using arterial stiffness as a parameter for cardiovascular risk assessment. Materials and methods: A cohort of 67 patients aged 35-75 years, without any prior atherosclerotic pathology, with abdominal obesity and no known chronic illnesses, underwent evaluation. The cohort was stratified based on obesity (BMI≥30kg/m2), metabolic syndrome (MetS NCEP-ATP III criteria), BMI class, total or trunk adipose tissue percentage, and clinical phenotypes of obesity (metabolically healthy obese - MHO, metabolically unhealthy obese - MUO, metabolically healthy non-obese - MHNO, metabolically unhealthy non-obese - MUNO), where unhealthy is defined by the presence of MetS. Biochemical analysis was performed to assess glucose, TG and HDL-c levels, aiming to detect potential undiagnosed cases of MetS. Adiponectin and leptin measurements were also performed. Hologic QDR Delphi A determined whole body composition with dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and Arteriograph® Tensiomed measured parameters of subclinical atherosclerosis. Results: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) values did not significantly differ across study groups, including obese versus non-obese individuals, clinical phenotypes of obesity, presence or absence of MetS, groups defined by BMI class, or adipose tissue percentages. Nevertheless, participants with excess weight or with MetS presented lower AIXa values. The groups that did not present MetS (obese and non-obese) showed the highest proportion of patients with PWV values under the age-adjusted theoretical threshold (46.15% and 44.4%, respectively), suggesting a potentially lower vascular age than the biological one. Conversely, the groups with MetS (obese and non-obese) had smaller percentages (26.67% and 16.66%, respectively). Around 30% of patients across clinical obesity phenotypes exhibited PWV values exceeding the theoretical threshold, but under 10 m/s. Conclusions: AIXa values are lower in the presence of MetS and in higher BMI subjects, whereas PWV values do not change significantly. Healthy obese individuals demonstrate a vascular age similar to the healthy non-obese group, suggesting enhanced cardiovascular protection. On the other hand, arterial stiffness is reported in a higher percentage of subjects that present MetS (obese or non-obese) compared to subjects without MetS, even though the syndrome is at an early stage.
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