Obesity in indigent elderly rural African women: effects on hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and hyperglycaemia.
To learn more of the sequelae of obesity in South African elderly rural indigent black women (aged 58-85 years), studies were made on 40 women with BMI greater than or equal to 30, and on 50 non-obese women with BMI of 25 or less, all in outward good health. In the two groups, hypertension (greater than or equal to 160/95 mm Hg) was present in 9 and 5 women (22% and 10%), hypercholesterolaemia (greater than or equal to 5.2 mmol/l) in 28 and 26 women (70% and 52%), hypertriglyceridaemia (greater than or equal to 1.8 mmol/l) in 20 and 16 (50% and 32%), and hyperglycaemia (greater than or equal to 6.7 mmol/l) in 8 and 7 women (20% and 14%). Differences between the obese and non-obese attained significance with blood pressure and serum lipids (P less than 0.01), although not with blood glucose. Both groups were habituated to a low fat high fibre diet. In this context, obesity appeared less evocative of adverse sequelae than prevails in a white population. However, for appropriate validation, longitudinal studies are required.
Walker
A R
AR
Department of Tropical Pathology, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Walker
B F
BF
Manetsi
B
B
Molefe
O
O
Walker
A J
AJ
Vorster
H H
HH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000209:etiology*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000209:etiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D008489:Medical Indigency; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012423:Rural Health / Q000639:trends*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology