title: Left ventricular hypertrophy evaluation in obese hypertensive patients: effect of left ventricular mass index criteria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate left ventricular mass (LVM) index in hypertensive and normotensive obese individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using M mode echocardiography, 544 essential hypertensive and 106 normotensive patients were evaluated, and LVM was indexed for body surface area (LVM/BSA) and for height2 (LVM/h2). The 2 indexes were then compared in both populations, in subgroups stratified according to body mass index (BMI): <27; 27-30; >/= 30kg/m2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BSA index does not allow identification of significant differences between BMI subgroups. Indexing by height2 provides significantly increased values for high BMI subgroups in normotensive and hypertensive populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been underestimated in the obese with the use of LVM/BSA because this index considers obesity as a physiological variable. Indexing by height2 allows differences between BMI subgroups to become apparent and seems to be more appropriate for detecting LVH in obese populations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Kidney and Hypertension Hospital, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brasil. eduardocantoni@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Eduardo Cantoni
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Valdir Ambrósio
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Moyses
authors.forename: Ricardo Cintra
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sesso
authors.forename: Frida Liane
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Plavnik
authors.forename: Fernando Flexa
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Nárcia E B
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Kohlmann
authors.forename: Artur Beltrame
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Maria Tereza
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zanella
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kohlmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001830:Body Surface Area; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014463:Ultrasonography