Abstract

Background: Abdominal obesity is seen with increased prevalence in South Asians even among those who have a body 2 mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m . Increasing intra-abdominal deposition of fat is closely associated with prolongation of the QTc interval independent of obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors. This may facilitate the development of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. Aims and Objectives: To determine whether abdominal obesity is associated with a prolongation of the QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) on the electrocardiogram (EKG) in Indian males with normal BMI.
Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study involving 100 males with normal BMI (50 with abdominal obesity and 50 healthy controls). Demographic data and detailed medical history were taken from each participant. Height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured. Participants were divided into two groups, one with waist-hip ratio (WHR) <0.9 and other with WHR ≥0.9. A resting standard supine 12-lead EKG was recorded. QTc interval was calculated using Bazett’s formula (QTc = QT interval/square root R-R interval). Student t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.
Results: There was no significant difference between Groups I and II in mean age, weight, height, and BMI (P > 0.05). QTc was found to be significantly higher in Group with WHR ≥0.9 with P < 0.001. In the group with WHR ≥0.9, 26% subjects had abnormal QTc, and 50% had borderline prolongation. In the other group, only one participant (2%) had abnormally prolonged QTc and 90% had QTc within normal limits. Significant positive correlation of QTc was found with weight, BMI and WHR with P value of P < 0.05, while there was no significant correlation of QTc with age and height. Conclusion: Distribution of adiposity needs to be taken into account even in normal weight and BMI patients while judging the cardiovascular and metabolic risk. WHR is a better indicator of prolonged QTc interval in these individuals than BMI.