CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS IN OBESE AND NORMAL WEIGHT PEOPLE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Obesity can be classified as generalized obesity (GO) and abdominal obesity (AO) and  obese population have higher rates of mortality and morbidity compared to non-obese individuals. World Health Organization (WHO) has defined  overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A commonly used simple measure to classify overweight and obesity in adults is body mass index (BMI).  BMI is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2). WHO defines overweight when BMI is greater than or equal to 25; and obesity when BMI is greater or equal to 30 but in Asians, the cut-offs for overweight (≥23.0kg/m2) and obesity (≥25.0kg/m2) are lower than WHO criteria due to risk factors and morbidities MATERIAL AND methods: A sample of 50 male and 50 female obese patients with body Mass Index > 30 kg/m2 and also 50 male and 50 female non obese patients with body Mass Index of 18.50 – 24.99 kg/m2 were selected. Sample was randomly selected. A pilot study was carried out on 20 patients to ensure feasibility, and time needed for completing the study. Results: A total of 200 participants were included in the study of which 100 were obese and 100 were non obese subject. Comparison of cardiac paramenters between obese and non obese individual was done like hrart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and pulse pressure. Demographic variables were also compared. Conclusion: The strong association of obesity with cardiovascular disease necessitates the importance of prevention and control of obesity and it should begin in early child hood also proper diet and regular medical check-up should be carried out to cope up with the problem of obesity.