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Impact of obesity on left ventricular mass and function in subjects with chronic volume overload

Piercarlo Ballo1, Andrea Motto, Sergio Mondillo

  • 1Cardiology Operative Unit, S. Andrea Hospital, La Spezia, Italy. pcballo@tin.it

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|August 23, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Overweight and obesity increase left ventricular (LV) mass and impair contractility in patients with volume overload. These conditions lead to LV hypertrophy and reduced heart muscle function.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Obesity Medicine
  • Echocardiography

Background:

  • Previous research explored obesity's impact on left ventricular (LV) function in pressure overload conditions.
  • Limited data exist on how overweight and obesity affect LV mass and function in patients with chronic LV volume overload.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the impact of overweight and obesity on LV mass and systolic function in patients with chronic LV volume overload.

Main Methods:

  • Echocardiography was used to determine LV mass, ejection fraction, and myocardial contractility in 885 subjects with degenerative aortic regurgitation.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) was analyzed for its independent predictive value on LV mass and contractility.

Main Results:

  • LV mass was significantly greater in overweight and obese individuals compared to normal-weight patients, even after adjusting for workload, gender, and body size.
  • Despite similar ejection fractions, LV myocardial contractility was reduced in overweight and obese subjects.
  • Multivariate analysis confirmed BMI as an independent predictor of LV mass, with LV hypertrophy mediating the negative effect on contractility.

Conclusions:

  • Overweight and obesity are linked to LV hypertrophy and impaired cardiac contractility in patients with chronic LV volume overload.
  • The effects of overweight-obesity appear additive rather than synergistic with the underlying volume overload condition.
Abstract

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