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Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Patterns and Outcomes of Obesity Using Body Mass Index in Patients Hospitalized with Acute Cardiovascular Disorders:
Abdul Rehman Abid1, Ayman El-Menyar2,3, Rajvir Singh4
1Cardiology Department, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha P.O. Box 3050, Qatar.
Insights
Obesity is common in cardiovascular disease patients, increasing comorbidities and mortality. However, body mass index alone did not independently predict mortality in these obese cardiac patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a significant health burden.
- Obesity is a growing global health concern with known links to CVD.
- Understanding the specific impact of obesity on CVD presentation and outcomes in diverse populations is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical presentation of cardiovascular diseases in obese patients.
- To analyze in-hospital outcomes for obese patients hospitalized with cardiovascular diseases.
- To compare outcomes across different grades of obesity in a Middle Eastern cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 7284 patients hospitalized with CVDs between 2015-2020.
- Classification of patients into three groups based on Body Mass Index (BMI): normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), and obese (≥30).
- Further sub-categorization of the obese group into Grade I (30-34.9), Grade II (35-39.9), and Grade III (≥40) for detailed comparison.
Main Results:
- Obese patients (BMI ≥30) were younger on average and had higher rates of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF) were more prevalent in the obese group, particularly in Grade III.
- Higher in-hospital mortality rates were observed in obese patients (17.1% in Grade III) compared to non-obese groups, despite less frequent percutaneous coronary intervention.
Conclusions:
- Approximately one-third of hospitalized cardiovascular patients in this cohort were obese.
- Obesity is associated with increased comorbidities and in-hospital mortality among cardiovascular disease patients.
- Body Mass Index alone was not found to be an independent predictor of mortality in obese cardiac patients.
Background:
We aimed to study the presentation and in-hospital outcomes of obese patients hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in a Middle Eastern country.
Methods:
This retrospective study included patients admitted to the Heart Hospital between 2015 and 2020. Patients were divided according to their body mass index (BMI): Group I (BMI 18.5-24.9), Group II (BMI 25-29.9), and Group III (BMI ≥ 30), by applying one-way ANOVAs and chi-square tests. The obese group (BMI ≥ 30) was graded and compared (Grade I (BMI 30-34.9), Grade II (BMI 35-39.9), and Grade III (BMI ≥ 40)).
Results:
There were 7284 patients admitted with CVDs (Group I (29%), Group II (37%), and Group III (34%)). The mean age was higher in Group III than Groups I and II (p < 0.001). Male sex was predominant in all groups except for morbid obesity (Grade III), in which females predominated. Diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia were more common in Group III. Chest pain was more common in Group II, while shortness of breath was more evident in Group III (p < 0.001). Group II had more ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), followed by Group I (p < 0.001). Atrial fibrillation (AF) was observed more frequently in Group III (p < 0.001). Congestive heart failure (CHF) was common in Group III (19%) (p < 0.001). In the subanalysis, (Grade I (62%), Grade II (22.5%), and Grade III (15.5%)), Grade I had more STEMI, whereas AF and CHF were higher in Grade III (p < 0.001). Percutaneous Coronary Intervention was performed less frequently in Grade III (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was higher in Grade III (17.1%), followed by Grades II (11.2%) and I (9.3%) (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
In this study, one third of the hospitalized CVS patients were obese. AF and CHF with preserved EF were the most common cardiovascular presentations in obese patients. In patients with CVDs, obesity was associated with higher rates of comorbidities and in-hospital mortality. However, obesity measured by BMI alone was not an independent predictor of mortality in obese cardiac patients.
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