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Has your Obesity Affected your Heart?

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Published: 20Dec2009
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Obesity is a metabolic disorder with an increasing prevalence, and is associated with several serious co-morbidities including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, arthritis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. It has been shown to be causative as far as coronary atherosclerosis and arterial disease, as well as left ventricular hypertrophy are concerned. The incidence of sudden cardiac death is also more in the obese. Cardiomyopathies, cardiac arrhythmias, sleep apnea, pulmonary hypertension and congestive failure have also been linked to obesity.

So how do you know if your obesity has affected your heart?

First of all, you must know if you are obese. For this, you must calculate your body mass index, the BMI, which is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2). BMI is an index of your weight relative to your height, and takes into consideration several parameters such as bone mass and the relative proportion of muscle and fat in your body's composition. If your BMI is 25.0 or higher, you are considered overweight, while a BMI more than 30 is clinically obese.

According to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) the other important indicator of obesity is waist circumference which indicates abdominal fat. A waist circumference over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women increases the risk of morbidities including heart disease

The American Heart Association identifies the major risk factors for heart disease to include age greater than 65 years, male gender, family history of heart disease, smoking, high blood cholesterol, hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes.

If you have more than two risk factors, and are obese with an increased waist circumference, your chances of getting heart disease are increased manifold.

Another important thing to consider is the presence of warning signs: the cardinal symptoms of heart disease. Chest pains, however innocuous, characterized as squeezing, choking, numbness or any other discomfort in the chest, neck, or radiating to the jaws or the arms is an ominous sign.

Palpitations often felt as either skips in the heartbeat or as rapid and/or irregular heartbeats, are usually due to some type of cardiac arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythms.

The third important warning sign is the syncope, a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness.

Fatigue and lethargy are often ignored in these times of stress and long working hours as usual. However, any fatigue out of proportion to the efforts involved, together with daytime somnolence should not be ignored. Another common symptom of heart disease is shortness of breath: on exertion, or when lying flat on the back. Night time awakenings gasping for breath, also called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, is also an ominous sign.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you must consult your doctor to make sure your obesity hasn't affected your heart.

An essential thing to remember in the context of the health of your heart is that there are several risk factors that are amenable to modification and control, unlike your age, gender and heredity. Lifestyle changes and the consequent modification of these risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, physical inactivity, or obesity can result in an improved cardiac status.

Most of the co-morbidities of obesity are directly linked to the BMI and also the body fat distribution. It is therefore prudent to maintaining a BMI less than 25 throughout adult life. In case your BMI is between 25 and 30, your doctor will suggest lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise. This would include a restriction of calorie intake and a simple, but regular, exercise regimen. You will also be asked to reduce consumption of dietary fats to less than 30% of the total caloric intake so as to promote weight loss.

A BMI greater than 30 puts you at a greater risk for serious illnesses. Your doctor will probably advise you of the relative merits of a gastric bypass surgery, in addition to lifestyle changes in order to restore your health.

It is therefore imperative that you consult your physician to make sure that your obesity hasn't affected your heart, and try and lose weight under his supervision so as to enjoy a long and happy life.

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