title: Young Women With Abdominal Obesity Have Subclinical Myocardial Dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The effect of abdominal obesity on myocardial function in young obese women remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate cardiac morphology and function, myocardial deformation, and mechanical indices, in young women with and without abdominal obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analyses of 39 women with abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 80 cm) and 33 nonobese control subjects (waist circumference < 80 cm) aged 18-30 years underwent conventional echocardiographic measures of cardiac morphology and function together with tissue Doppler, and 2-dimensional speckle tracking measures of myocardial deformation and mechanics. Cardiometabolic risk factors including anthropometric, hypertension, biochemistry, and fitness were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Standard echocardiography results for cardiac morphology and function were similar between groups, with the exception of larger left atrial dimensions in women with abdominal obesity (P ≤ 0.05). Compared with control subjects, women with abdominal obesity also demonstrated reduced systolic and diastolic mitral annular plane velocities, increased left atrial pressure surrogates (E/diastolic mitral annular plane velocity), and prolonged timing measures of diastolic function including isovolumic relaxation time and transmitral deceleration time (P ≤ 0.05). In addition, longitudinal strain and diastolic strain rate were reduced in women with abdominal obesity (P ≤ 0.05) but circumferential deformation and myocardial mechanics (twist indices and rotation) were preserved. Markers of abdominal obesity retained an independent direct correlation with parameters of cardiac dysfunction, explaining 12%-39% of the overall variability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A young, otherwise healthy group of women with abdominal obesity displayed subclinical cardiac dysfunction indicated using selected tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking echocardiography measures.
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: bianca.share@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bianca L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Share
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia; Cardiac Investigation Unit, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Gerche
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Geraldine A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Naughton
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia; LAPEC, EA4278, Avignon University, Avignon, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Obert
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Justin G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kemp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult