title: [Influence of body fat distribution on the prevalence of arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in obese patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obese people are at higher cardiovascular risk than people with normal body weight. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between obesity, body fat distribution and cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR) systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), plasma cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels were determined in a population of 499 overweight and obese patients (432F/67M; age 39 12.9y).
  
  
  RESULTS
  High prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance or diabetes (21.8%), hypercholesterolenemia (49.1%), hypertri glyceridemia (21.3%) and hypertension (43.8%) were found in this population. The prevalence of hypertension increased from 23% in patients with BMI 25-29.9 kg/m  to 67.1% (p<0.05) in those with BMI > 40kg/m  and also from 35.7% in patients with WHR between 0.73 and 0.88 to 66.6% in those with WHR >0.97 (p<0.05). In addition, a correlation was found between the waist circumference and SBP (r=0.35; p<0.0001). In the hypertensive group, but not in the normotensive, SBP increased with BMI, from 150 12 mmHg in the overweight group to 161 18mmHg in that with BMI > 40kg/m , (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data reinforce the association between obesity and high cardiovascular risk. In addition, our findings suggested a role for body fat distribution in the development of hypertension in obese patients.
authors.affiliation: Disciplina de Endocrinologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gláucia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: Alessandra N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Fernando F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro Filho
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lerário
authors.forename: Sandra R G
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Zanella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001823:Body Composition; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors