Cardiovascular risk factors in obese women and their first-degree relatives.
OBJECTIVE
Evidence for a connection between obesity and cardiovascular disease is derived from epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in obese women and their first-degree relatives.


METHODS
Fifty-five obese women and their 154 first-degree relatives (daughter, son, sister, brother), 60 non-obese women and their 100 first-degree relatives were enrolled in this cross-sectional controlled study. Blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR), waist circumference (WC) and lipid levels were measured in all participants. Serum concentrations of insulin were measured by chemiluminescence method, plasma levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs CRP) by immunoturbimetric assay and fibrinogen by coagulation method. Measurement of insulin resistance (IR) was calculated using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Statistical analysis was preformed using Chi-square, Student's t and Mann-Whitney U tests. The relationship between obesity indices and cardiovascular risk factors were studied using linear regression analysis.


RESULTS
Mean values of BMI in female and male relatives were found as 25.10+/-2.5 kg/m2 and 23.5+/-4.98 kg/m2, respectively. In relatives, the frequencies of obesity, overweight and normal weight were found to be 8.9%, 25.8% and 65.1%, respectively. Central obesity was found higher in males than in females in the first-degree relatives, using WC (28.5% vs. 14.3%, p=0.001) or WHpR (30.9% vs. 24.5%, p=0.002). Elevated blood pressure (>or=140/90 mmHg) was recorded in 23.6% of obese women and in 8.4% of their relatives. Mean HOMA-IR levels of obese women and their relatives were found as 3.26+/-0.7 and 2.07+/-1.1, respectively. Mean hs CRP levels of obese women and their relatives were 0.98+/-0.08 mg/dl and 0.23+/-0.03 mg/dl, respectively (p=0.002). Mean fibrinogen levels of obese women and their relatives were 443.21+/-45.9 mg/dl and 321.10+/-38.23 mg/dl, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In obese women and their relatives, body mass index and waist circumferences are related with blood pressure, total cholesterol, fibrinogen and insulin resistance. If there are obese women in family, first-degree relatives have 1.8 fold increased obesity frequency. Body mass index increases together with cardiovascular risk factors. In early term, prevention of obesity may decrease developing of cardiovascular risk.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. fuldensarac@yahoo.com
Fulden
F
Saraç
Ahmet Gökhan
AG
Ozgen
Candeğer
C
Yilmaz
Mehmet
M
Tüzün
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol