Urinary albumin excretion and heart rate variability in obese women.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to examine the relationship between cardiac autonomic function and urinary albumin excretion in obesity.


METHODS
These were 27 obese non-diabetic postmenopausal women and 18 non-obese healthy postmenopausal women.


METHODS
Urinary albumin excretion as well as plasma nitrate, both indices of capillary function, were measured. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability was performed, as a measurement of vagal function. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed and blood lipids were analysed.


RESULTS
The obese women were characterized by higher fasting insulin, sum of glucose, triglycerides and lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), the latter of borderline significance, than controls. Urinary albumin excretion (UAE), plasma nitrate and heart rate variability were not different between obese and control women. However, in obese women log UAE correlated positively with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and inversely with heart rate variability, the latter independent of body mass index (BMI) and the waist/hip circumference ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
It was concluded that this inverse association between UAE and parasympathetic activity in obese women may be an early sign of derangements of endothelial function and autonomic nervous system control, which may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in abdominal obesity.
Andersson
B
B
Department of Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, Sweden.
Wikstrand
J
J
Ljung
T
T
Björk
S
S
Wennmalm
A
A
Björntorp
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017698:Postmenopause; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D007328:Insulin; D009566:Nitrates; D014280:Triglycerides