Waist-to-hip ratio is associated with pulmonary gas exchange in the morbidly obese.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Morbidly obese individuals (ie, body mass index [BMI], > or = 40 kg/m2) may have a pulmonary gas exchange impairment due to the large fat mass surrounding their abdomen.

PURPOSES:
To examine the effect of the waist-to-hip (W/H) ratio on pulmonary gas exchange in the morbidly obese.

METHODS:
Twenty-five morbidly obese individuals (mean [+/- SD] age, 39 +/- 10 years; mean BMI, 49 +/- 7 kg/m2; mean body fat, 50 +/- 6%; mean waist circumference, 135 +/- 15 cm; mean W/H ratio, 0.97 +/- 0.11) scheduled for bariatric surgery were recruited. Arterial blood was sampled in duplicate after 5 min of rest sitting upright.

RESULTS:
The mean PaO2 at rest was 88 +/- 7 mm Hg (range, 72 to 108 mm Hg), the alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure difference (P[A-a]O2) was 19 +/- 9 mm Hg (range, 1 to 37 mm Hg), and the PacO2 was 38 +/- 3 mm Hg (range, 32 to 44 mm Hg). Linear regression showed that 32% and 36%, respectively, of the variance in the P(A-a)O2 and PaO2 were explained by the W/H ratio (p < 0.004 for both). As well, 20% of the variance in PacO2 was explained by the W/H ratio (p = 0.02). Men had larger W/H ratios (p < 0.01) and poorer gas exchange (p = 0.06) compared to women (mean difference:
PaO2, -7 mm Hg; P[A-a]O2, 6 mm Hg).

CONCLUSION:
Morbidly obese men showed a trend to have poorer pulmonary gas exchange compared to morbidly obese women, and a significant part of the blood gas status in these patients is associated with the W/H ratio.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Zavorsky, Gerald S (GS); Murias, Juan M (JM); Kim, Do Jun (do J); Gow, Jennifer (J); Sylvestre, Jean-Loup (JL); Christou, Nicolas V (NV);

Affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, 1650 Cedar Ave, Room D10-144, Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 1A4. gerald.zavorsky(-atsign-)mcgill.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Chest (Chest), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Feb; vol 131 (issue 2) : pp 362-7

Dates: Created 2007/02/13; Completed 2007/03/16;

PMID: 17296634, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Middle Aged
Obesity, Morbid - blood; physiopathology
Posture - physiology
Pulmonary Gas Exchange - physiology
Rest - physiology
Sex Factors
Waist-Hip Ratio

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.