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Abdominal obesity doubles risk for sudden cardiac death
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BOSTON — Obese people with larger waist-to-hip ratios are at greater risk for sudden cardiac death when compared with people who carry less abdominal weight, according to data presented at the Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Scientific Sessions.
During approximately 13 years of follow-up, 301 of 15,156 men and women enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study experienced sudden cardiac death. Results showed positive associations between sudden cardiac death and BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio after researchers adjusted for age, sex, study center, education level, smoking status and family history of CHD. After further adjustment for obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes, LDL, hypertension, prevalent CHD, HF and left ventricular hypertrophy, only waist-to-hip ratio was independently associated with sudden cardiac death (P for trend=.009).
“The significance of this study is that it shows that abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death even after accounting for factors such as diabetes, hypertension and CHD,” lead study author Selcuk Adabag, MD, MS, associate professor medicine at the University of Minnesota and cardiac electrophysiologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis, said in a press release. “Physicians should make obesity prevention and treatment a priority to reduce the risk of coronary disease as well as sudden cardiac death.”
For more information:
- Adabag S. PO1-67. Presented at: the Heart Rhythm Society’s 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions; May 9-12, 2012; Boston.
Disclosure: Dr. Adabag has received research grants from Boston Scientific and Medtronic. All other researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.