title: Cardiopulmonary aspects of obesity in women.
abstract: This review discusses the cardiopulmonary aspects of obesity in nonpregnant women. The effects of obesity on pulmonary diffusing capacity and pulmonary gas exchange are related to the waist-to-hip ratio. Obese women have an increased risk for heart failure compared with normal-weight women, a risk that progressively worsens with increasing body mass index. They also have poor cardiac accommodation and possess a lower oxygen pulse at peak exercise. Cardiac output, heart rate, and total blood volume are higher in obese women whereas ejection fraction is lower compared with normal-weight women; substantial weight loss normalizes these parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, Saint Mary's Health Center, 6420 Clayton Road, Suite 290, St. Louis, MO 63117, USA. zavorsky@slu.edu
authors.forename: Gerald S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zavorsky
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio