The associations of body mass index, C-peptide and metabolic status in Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Chinese Type 2 diabetic subjects are generally less obese than their Caucasian counterparts. We hypothesized that lean and obese Chinese Type 2 diabetic subjects have different metabolic and insulin secretory profiles. We compared the clinical features, C peptide and metabolic status between lean/normal weight and obese diabetic subjects. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 521 consecutive diabetic subjects newly referred to a Diabetes Clinic in 1996. The subjects were categorized into underweight (< 18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-23 kg/m(2)) and overweight (>/= 23 kg/m(2)) according to the re-defined WHO criterion for obesity in Asia Pacific Region. Metabolic and anthropometric parameters were compared between groups with different levels of obesity. RESULTS: In this cohort, 5.8, 30.6 and 63.7% of subjects were underweight, normal weight and overweight, respectively, using the 'Asian' criteria. Of these 521 subjects, 20% had fasting C-peptide less than 0.2 nmol/l, suggesting insulin deficiency. Fasting C-peptide showed linear increasing trend (P < 0.001) while HbA(1c) showed decreasing trend (P = 0.001) with BMI after adjustment for duration of disease. There were more subjects in the underweight group who were treated with insulin (41.3% vs. 13.9 and 8.2%, P < 0.001). Although homeostasis model assessment was similar amongst the three groups, systolic (P = 0.006) and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001) and triglyceride (P < 0.001) showed increasing, while HDL-C (P < 0.001) showed decreasing, trends across different BMI groups. The underweight patients had the lowest C-peptide and highest HbA(1c) while overweight patients had the highest C-peptide, blood pressure, triglyceride but lowest HbA(1c) levels. CONCLUSION: In Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients, lean subjects had predominant insulin deficiency and obese subjects had features of metabolic syndrome. Clinicians should have low threshold to initiate insulin therapy in lean Type 2 diabetic patients with suboptimal glycaemic control. In obese diabetic patients, aggressive control of multiple cardiovascular risks is of particular importance.     

Role of body mass index in colon cancer patients in Taiwan

AIM: To determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the characteristics and overall outcome of colon cancer in Taiwan.METHODS: From January 1995 to July 2003, 2138 patients with colon cancer were enrolled in this study. BMI categories (in kg/m²) were established according to the classification of the Department of Health of Taiwan. Postoperative morbidities and mortality, and survival analysis including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared across the BMI categories.RESULTS: There were 164 (7.7%) underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²), 1109 (51.9%) normal-weight (BMI = 18.5-23.9 kg/m²), 550 (25.7%) overweight (BMI = 24.0-26.9 kg/m²), and 315 (14.7%) obese (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m²) patients. Being female, apparently anemic, hypoalbuminemic, and having body weight loss was more likely among underweight patients than among the other patients (P < 0.001). Underweight patients had higher mortality rate (P = 0.007) and lower OS (P < 0.001) and DFS (P = 0.002) than the other patients. OS and DFS did not differ significantly between normal-weight, overweight, and obese patients, while CSS did not differ significantly with the BMI category.CONCLUSION: In Taiwan, BMI does not significantly affect colon-CSS. Underweight patients had a higher rate of surgical mortality and a worse OS and DFS than the other patients. Obesity does not predict a worse survival.     

Impact of body mass index on in-hospital outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (report from the New York State Angioplasty Registry)

Although obesity traditionally has been considered a risk factor for coronary revascularization, recent data from registry studies have shown a possible protective effect of obesity on outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Using data from the New York State Angioplasty database over a 4-year period, we analyzed 95,435 consecutive patients who underwent PCI. Classification of body mass index (BMI) was: underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), healthy weight (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25 to 29.9 kg/m(2)), moderate obesity (class I) (30 to 34.9 kg/m(2)), severe obesity (class II) (35 to 39.9 kg/m(2)), and very severe obesity (class III) (>40 kg/m(2)). In-hospital postprocedural mortality and complications were compared among these groups. Compared with healthy weight patients, patient with class I or II obesity had lower in-hospital mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (combined death, myocardial infarction, and emergency surgery), whereas patients at the extremes of BMI (underweight and class III obese patients) had significantly higher mortality and MACE rates. Adjusted hazards ratios for in-hospital mortality according to BMI were: underweight (2.69), healthy weight (1.0), overweight (0.90), class I obese (0.74), class II obese (0.67), and class III obese (1.63). Patients at the extremes of BMI (<18.5 and >40 kg/m(2)) were at increased risk of MACEs, including mortality after PCI, whereas patients who were moderately to severely obese (BMIs 30 to 40 kg/m(2)) were at lower risk than healthy weight patients.     

Medical therapies and invasive treatments for coronary artery disease by body mass: the "obesity paradox" in the Get With The Guidelines database

Previous studies of hospitalized patients have suggested an "obesity paradox" with lower short-term mortality as weight increases. We hypothesized that some of this difference might be related to more aggressive management. To evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on treatments and outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the Get With The Guidelines database was investigated. From 409 United States hospitals, 130,139 hospitalizations for CAD were identified with documented height and weight. Patients were stratified by BMI, with 3,305 (2.5%) underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m(2)), 34,697 (27%) of healthy weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m(2)), 47,883 (37%) overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m(2)), 37,686 (29%) obese (BMI 30 to 39.9 kg/m(2)), and 6,568 (5%) extremely obese (BMI > or =40 kg/m(2)). As BMI increased, patients were significantly younger but more likely to be men and have hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was highest in the underweight group (10.4%) and significantly lower in the healthy-weight (5.4%), overweight (3.1%), obese (2.4%), and extremely obese (2.9%) patients. Higher BMI was associated with increased use of standard medical therapies such as aspirin, beta blockers, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system, and lipid-lowering therapy in the hospital and at discharge. In adjusted analyses, compared with the healthy-weight group, overweight and obese patients were more likely to undergo invasive procedures and had lower mortality (p <0.01 for all odds ratios). In conclusion, increasing BMI appears to be associated with better use of guideline-recommended medical treatment and invasive management of CAD, which may explain the observed lower rates of in-hospital mortality.     

Impact of body mass index on survival of esophageal squamous carcinoma patients in southern China

Background

Although high body mass index (BMI) increases risk for developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the prognostic influence of BMI is unknown in esophageal squamous carcinoma.

Methods

BMI was calculated using measured height and weight at the first diagnosis and categorized as overweight (25 to 29.9 kg/m²), normal (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m²) or underweight (<18.5 kg/m²). Survival was compared by using the log-rank test on the Kaplan-Meier life table. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate whether BMI was an independent prognostic factor for disease-specific survival (DSS).

Results

Among 1,176 esophageal squamous carcinoma patients, 146 (12.4%) were categorized as overweight, and 277 (23.6%) underweight. More patients in the underweight group had anemia (P=0.001), weight loss (P=0.035) and R1 resection (P<0.001). Less patients in the underweight group received adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.01). Patients in the overweight group had a higher incidence rate of high blood pressure (P<0.001), diabetes (P<0.001) and coronary artery diseases (P<0.001). Moreover, more patients in the overweight group had a lower TNM stage (P=0.003). In the univariated analysis, high BMI was significantly associated with better DSS (P=0.013).

Conclusions

After adjusting for covariates enrolled for study, high BMI was an independent prognostic factor in weight loss esophageal squamous carcinoma patients.     

A retrospective analysis of associations between BMI and days spent on mechanical ventilation in a level 1 trauma facility

ObjectiveTo examine whether BMI impacts the outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients.MethodsData was collected retrospectively among patients involved in motor vehicle accidents in intensive care at a major trauma center in Atlanta, GA. Patients were categorized into five BMI groups: underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal weight (BMI of 18.5-24.9), overweight (BMI of 25-29.9), obese (BMI of 30-39.9), and morbidly obese (BMI of >40).ResultsAmong all patients (n=2,802), 3% of patients were underweight, 34% were of normal weight, 30% were overweight, 27% were obese, and 6% were morbidly obese. The mean number of ventilator days for normal weight patients was 4.6, whereas the mean number of ventilator days for underweight and morbidly obese patients were higher (10.3 and 7.4, respectively).ConclusionsUnderweight and morbidly obese populations may require additional interventions during their ICU stays to address the challenges presented by having an unhealthy BMI.     

Impact of obesity on disease-specific health status after percutaneous coronary intervention in coronary disease patients

OBJECTIVE: Several investigators have focused on obesity as a specific risk factor for mortality in patients undergoing bypass surgery, but few have examined it as a risk factor among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). In addition, none have evaluated the impact of obesity on post-PCI quality of life or disease-specific health status. This study examined whether obesity is a risk factor for poor quality of life or diminished health status 12-months postprocedure among a large cohort of PCI patients. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 1631 consecutive PCI patients were enrolled into the study and classified as underweight (BMI <20 kg/m2), normal weight range (BMI >/=20 and <25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI >/=25 and <30 kg/m2), class I obese (BMI >/=30 kg/m2), or class II and III obese (BMI >/=35 kg/m2). The 12-month postprocedure outcomes included need for repeat procedure, survival, quality of life and health status, assessed using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Short Form-12. RESULTS: Obese patients with and without a history of revascularization were significantly younger than overweight, normal weight range, or underweight patients at the time of PCI. However, obese patients demonstrated similar long-term recovery and improved disease-specific health status and quality of life when compared to patients in the normal weight range after PCI. In addition, mortality and risk for repeat procedure was similar to those patients in the normal weight range patients at 12-months postrevascularization. Underweight patients who had no previous history of revascularization reported lower quality of life (F=3.02; P=0.018) and poorer physical functioning (F=2.82; P=0.024) than other BMI groups. CONCLUSION: Obese patients presenting for revascularization were younger when compared to patients in the normal weight range, regardless of previous history of revascularization. However, weight status was not a significant predictor of differences in long-term disease-specific health status, quality of life, repeat procedures, or survival. Underweight patients demonstrated less improvement in quality of life and physical functioning than other BMI groups.     

Impact of body mass index on outcomes following critical care

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on outcomes in critically ill patients. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a large multi-institutional ICU database. MEASUREMENTS: The influence of BMI classification (underweight, < 20 kg/m(2); normal [control subjects], 20 to 25 kg/m(2); overweight, 25 to 30 kg/m(2); obese, 30 to 40 kg/m(2); severe obesity, > 40 kg/m(2)) on hospital survival, functional status at hospital discharge, and ICU/hospital length of stay (LOS) was analyzed via multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, gender, type of hospital admission, and severity score (ie, simplified acute physiologic score [SAPS] II and mortality prediction model [MPM] at time zero). Univariate analysis also was performed according to the quartile of the severity score. All comparisons were to the normal BMI group. RESULTS: Of 63,646 patient datasets, 41,011 were complete for height, weight, and at least one of the two severity scores. We found increased mortality in underweight patients (odds ratio [OR] of death: SAPS group, 1.19; MPM group, 1.26) but not in overweight, obese, or severely obese patients. ICU and hospital LOS were increased in both the severely obese (OR of discharge: ICU, 0.81 and 0.84, respectively; hospital, 0.83 and 0.87, respectively) and underweight groups (OR of discharge: ICU, 0.96 and 0.94, respectively; hospital, 0.91 and 0.90, respectively). Only in the SAPS group did the obese group have increased ICU LOS (OR, 0.96) and hospital LOS (OR, 0.96). Functional status at discharge was impaired in underweight patients (OR of disability: ICU, 1.11; hospital, 1.19). Overweight patients had decreased discharge disability (OR of disability: SAPS, 0.93; MPM, 0.94), while the results in the obese group were discordant between the two severity score groups (SAPS, not significant; MPM, 0.91; p < 0.05 for all ORs). CONCLUSIONS: Low BMI, but not high BMI, is associated with increased mortality and worsened hospital discharge functional status. LOS is increased in severely obese patients and, to a lesser extent, in underweight patients. Patients in the overweight and obese BMI groups may have improved mortality and discharge functional status.     

Usefulness of body mass index to characterize nutritional status in patients with heart failure

The obesity paradox in heart failure (HF) is criticized because of the limitations of body mass index (BMI) in correctly characterizing overweight and obese patients, necessitating a better evaluation of nutritional status. The aim of this study was to assess nutritional status, BMI, and significance in terms of HF survival. Anthropometry and biochemical nutritional markers were assessed in 55 HF patients. Undernourishment was defined as the presence of ≥2 of the following indexes below the normal range: triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, arm muscle circumference, albumin, and total lymphocyte count. Patients were also stratified by BMI and followed for a median of 26.7 months. Across BMI strata, no patient was underweight, 31% were normal weight, 42% were overweight, and 27% were obese. Undernourishment was present in 53% of normal-weight patients, 22% of overweight patients, and none of the obese patients (p = 0.001). Undernourished patients had significantly higher mortality (p = 0.009) compared to well-nourished patients. In multivariate analysis, only undernutrition (hazard ratio 3.149, 95% confidence interval 1.367 to 7.253), New York Heart Association functional class (hazard ratio 3.374, 95% confidence interval 1.486 to 7.659), and age (hazard ratio 1.115, 95% confidence interval 1.045 to 1.189) remained in the model. Among nutritional indicators, subscapular skinfold was the best predictor of mortality; patients with subscapular skinfold in the fifth percentile had higher mortality (p = 0.0001). In conclusion, BMI does not indicate true nutritional status in HF. Classifying patients as well nourished or undernourished may improve risk stratification.     

Association Between Body Mass and Mortality in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

A total of 959 Taiwanese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis—102 underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²), 492 normal weight (BMI 18.5–22.9 kg/m²), 187 overweight (BMI 23.0–24.9 kg/m²), and 178 obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) were recruited into this three-year, multicenter longitudinal study. It was found initially that the underweight group had more females, longer hemodialysis durations, less use of a biocompatible membrane (BCM) dialyzer, higher erythropoietin doses and Kt/V_urea, and lower white blood cell counts, hemoglobin, serum creatinine and phosphate, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) than other groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a χ²-test demonstrated that underweight patients had poorer nutrition (P = 0.023), but less systemic inflammation (P < 0.001) than other groups. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis established that age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hemodialysis duration, use of BCM dialyzer, Kt/V_urea, creatinine, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hsCRP were significant risk factors associated with BMI (P < 0.001–0.002). After three years, 149 (15.5%) patients had died, including 22 of 102 (21.6%) underweight patients, 64 of 492 (13.0%) normal weight patients, 38 of 187 (20.3%) overweight patients, and 25 of 178 (15.5%) obese patients. The primary causes of mortality were cardiovascular (52.3%) and infection (39.6%). A multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age, diabetes mellitus, BMI, albumin, hsCRP, and cardiothoracic ratio were significant risk factors associated with all-cause mortality over three years (P < 0.001–0.022). Finally, Kaplan–Meier analysis confirmed that underweight patients suffer higher mortality than other groups (Log rank, P = 0.0392); therefore, the data have demonstrated a survival disadvantage of low BMI in Taiwanese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.     

不同BMI患者内脏脂肪差异性分析

目的探讨不同体质量指数（BMI）患者其内脏脂肪（VAT）含量的差异。 方法应用计算机断层扫描（CT）测量符合纳排标准的1094例于2017年1月1日至12月31日在广州医科大学附属第一医院门诊或住院患者的VAT含量、皮下脂肪（SAT）含量和腰围（WC）。根据上述患者的BMI水平将所有患者分为四组：体重过低组（BMI<18.5 kg/m²,n=56）,体重正常组（18.5 kg/m²≤BMI<24 kg/m²,n=444）,超重组（24 kg/m²≤BMI<28 kg/m²,n=253）和肥胖组（BMI≥28.0 kg/m²,n=81）。采用秩和检验方法探讨四组患者VAT、SAT和WC的差异。采用Spearman相关分析方法了解BMI分别和VAT、SAT、WC等指标间的相关关系。 结果1094例患者中数据齐全的共834例,其中患有心血管系统疾病有71例,呼吸系统疾病114例,消化系统疾病349例,泌尿系统疾病210例,生殖系统疾病19例,内分泌系统疾病29例。不同疾病种类患者在各BMI水平的VAT含量差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。四组间的VAT、SAT和WC均存在显著的差异（P<0.01）。组间比较结果显示：SAT含量在肥胖组>超重组>体重正常组>体重过轻组（P<0.01）。VAT含量及WC两个指标的组间比较则显示,超重及肥胖组>体重正常组>体重过轻组（P<0.01）,在肥胖与超重两个组别间的比较则未发现差异的显著性（P>0.05）。Spearman相关分析结果显示,在正常体重组和超重组,BMI与VAT呈正相关关系（r分别为0.402、0.195,P<0.05）;在体重过轻组和肥胖组未发现两者的相关性（P>0.05）。BMI与SAT在正常体重组呈正相关关系（r=0.296,P<0.05）,而在其余三组则未发现（P>0.05）。BMI与WC的正相关关系体现在正常体重组和超重组（r分别为0.199、0.144,P<0.05）,而在体重过轻组和肥胖组未发现两者的相关关系（P>0.05）。 结论BMI作为肥胖程度判断的临床常用指标,与影像学肥胖的判断指标存在有限的相关关系。一定范围内的BMI水平有助于推测内脏脂肪含量,当体重过轻或肥胖达到某种程度时,BMI水平可能难以用于推测内脏脂肪的严重程度及其分布特征。     

Global variability in angina pectoris and its association with body mass index and poverty

In the absence of a previous global comparison, we examined the variability in the prevalence of angina across 52 countries and its association with body weight and the poverty index using data from the World Health Organization-World Health Survey. The participants with angina were defined as those who had positive results using a Rose angina questionnaire and/or self-report of a physician diagnosis of angina. The body mass index (BMI) was determined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The poverty index (a standard score of socioeconomic status for a given country) was extracted from the United Nations' statistics. The associations of angina with the BMI and poverty index were analyzed cross-sectionally using univariate and multivariate analyses. The results showed that the total participants (n = 210,787) had an average age of 40.64 years. The prevalence of angina ranged from 2.44% in Tunisia to 23.89% in Chad. Those participants with a BMI of <18.5 kg/m(2) (underweight), 25 to 29 kg/m(2) (overweight), or BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) (obese) had a significantly greater risk of having angina compared to those with a normal BMI (≥ 18.5 but <25 k/m(2)). The odds ratios of overweight and obese for angina remained significant in the multilevel models, in which the influence of the country-level poverty status was considered. A tendency was seen for underweight status and a poverty index >14.65% to be associated with the risk of having angina, although these associations were not statistically significant in the multilevel models. In conclusion, significant variations were found in the anginal rates across 52 countries worldwide. An increased BMI was significantly associated with the odds of having angina.     

The obesity paradox: body mass index and outcomes in patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND: In the general population, obesity is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes. However, studies of patients with chronic disease suggest that overweight and obese patients may paradoxically have better outcomes than lean patients. We sought to examine the association of body mass index (BMI) and outcomes in stable outpatients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: We analyzed data from 7767 patients with stable HF enrolled in the Digitalis Investigation Group trial. Patients were categorized using baseline BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) as underweight (BMI <18.5), healthy weight (BMI, 18.5-24.9, overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9), and obese (BMI > or =30.0). Risks associated with BMI groups were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models over a mean follow-up of 37 months. RESULTS: Crude all-cause mortality rates decreased in a near linear fashion across successively higher BMI groups, from 45.0% in the underweight group to 28.4% in the obese group (P for trend <.001). After multivariable adjustment, overweight and obese patients were at lower risk for death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-0.96, and HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72-0.92, respectively), compared with patients at a healthy weight (referent). In contrast, underweight patients with stable HF were at increased risk for death (HR 1.21; 95% CI, 0.95-1.53). CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of outpatients with established HF, higher BMIs were associated with lower mortality risks; overweight and obese patients had lower risk of death compared with those at a healthy weight. Understanding the mechanisms and impact of the "obesity paradox" in patients with HF is necessary before recommendations are made concerning weight and weight control in this population.     

Impact of obesity as a mortality predictor in high-risk patients with myocardial infarction or chronic heart failure: a pooled analysis of five registries

AIMS: To explore the influence of obesity on prognosis in high-risk patients with myocardial infarction (MI) or heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Individual data of 21 570 consecutively hospitalized patients from five Danish registries were pooled together. After a follow-up of 10.4 years, all-cause mortality using multivariate model and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Compared with normal weight [body mass index (BMI) 18.5-24.9 kg/m2], obesity class II (BMI >or= 35 kg/m2) was associated with increased risk of death in patients with MI but not HF [HR = 1.23 (1.06-1.44), P = 0.006 and HR = 1.13 (0.95-1.36), P = 0.95] (P-value for interaction = 0.004). Obesity class I (BMI 30-34.9 kg/m2) was not associated with increased risk of death in MI or HF [HR = 0.99 (0.92-1.08) and 1.00 (0.90-1.11), P > 0.1]. Pre-obesity (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) was associated with decreased death risk in MI but not HF [HR = 0.91 (0.87-0.96), P = 0.0006 and 1.04 (0.97-1.12), P = 0.34] (P-value for interaction = 0.007). Underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) patients were in increased death risk regardless of MI or HF [HR = 1.54 (1.35-1.75) and 1.37 (1.18-1.59), P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: In patients with MI but not HF, the relationship between BMI and mortality is U-shaped with highest mortality in underweight and obese class II, but lowest in the other BMI classes.     

Body mass index, prognosis and mode of death in chronic heart failure: results from the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial

AIMS: To assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI), mortality and mode of death in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients; to define the shape of the relationship between BMI and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a post-hoc analysis of 5010 patients from the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial. The end-points of the study were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Mortality rate was 27.2% in underweight patients (BMI<22 kg/m2), 21.7% in normal weight patients (BMI 22-24.9 kg/m2), 17.9% in overweight patients (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) and 16.5% in obese patients (BMI>30 kg/m2) (p<0.0001). The rates of non-cardiovascular death did not differ among groups. The risk of death due to progressive heart failure was 3.4-fold higher in the underweight than in the obese patients (p<0.0001). Normal weight, overweight and obese patients had lower risk of death as compared with underweight patients (p=0.019, HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.96; p=0.0005, HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.55-0.84; p=0.003, HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.52-0.88, respectively) independently of symptoms, ventricular function, beta-blocker use, C-reactive protein and brain natriuretic peptide levels. CONCLUSIONS: In CHF patients a higher BMI is associated with a better prognosis independently of other clinical variables. The relationship between mortality and BMI is monotonically decreasing.     

Does body mass index influence the outcomes of a Waking-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme in COPD?

Body mass index (BMI) is an important prognostic measure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its effects on pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a walking-based PR programme across the BMI range and the impact of BMI on exercise performance and health status. A total of 601 patients with COPD completed a PR programme. The effects of BMI on exercise capacity (incremental and endurance shuttle walk tests (ISWT and ESWT)) and health status (chronic respiratory questionnaire (CRQ)) before and after PR were evaluated. 16% of patients were underweight, with 53% overweight or obese. At baseline, the obese had worse ISWT (-54 m ± 14 m; p = 0.001) despite a higher predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (7.4m ± 1.6%; p < 0.001). Patients in all BMI categories made clinically important improvements in ISWT distance: BMI <21, 62 m; 21-25, 59 m; 25-30, 59 m; >30, 65 m (p = < 0.001). All four domains of the CRQ increased above the level of clinical significance for all BMI categories (all p < 0.001). The majority of patients with COPD were overweight associated with a lower walking capacity. A walking-based PR programme was comparably effective across the BMI spectrum. Patients with COPD should be referred for standard PR, independent of BMI.     

Body mass index and response to emergency department treatment in adults with severe asthma exacerbations: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: In acute asthma (AA), overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI]>or=25 kg/m2) have been related to poorer outcomes and higher risk of complications. METHODS: We designed a prospective cohort study to determine if overweight/obese adults with severe episodes of AA require longer duration of emergency department (ED) treatment and have higher hospitalization rates compared with underweight/normal asthmatics (BMI<25 kg/m2). All patients received inhaled albuterol (maximum 6 h). Patients were discharged or admitted according to standard accepted criteria. The weight and height of each patient were measured during the ED stay. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty-six patients (mean, 33.4+/-11.5 years [+/-SD]; 63% women) with severe exacerbations (FEV1, 28.2+/-11.9% of predicted) were enrolled. One hundred sixty-three patients (38.3%) were classified as overweight/obese. Patients with BMI>or=25 kg/m2 showed significant increases in length of ED stay (2.3 h vs 1.9 h, p=0.01) and rate of hospitalization (13.7% vs 6.8%, p=0.02), despite adjustments for other confounding variables. They also presented a higher rate of use of inhaled steroids and theophylline within the past 7 days. At the end of treatment, overweight/obese patients displayed more wheezing. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that BMI>or=25 kg/m2 resulted unrelated to final change in peak expiratory flow from baseline. By contrast, BMI>or=25 kg/m2 was related with duration of ED treatment (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight/obese patients were admitted to the hospital more frequently than underweight/normal patients. This may reflect a difference in the perception of dyspnea, or it may reflect an underlying difference in asthma severity between the two groups.     

Blood growth hormone-binding protein levels in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: roles of body weight and estrogen levels

A substantial proportion of GH circulates bound to high affinity GH-binding protein (GHBP), which corresponds to the extracellular domain of the GH receptor. Current evidence indicates that nutritional status has an important role in regulating plasma GHBP levels in humans. In the present study the relationship among plasma GHBP levels, body composition [by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)] and serum estradiol (E(2)) was evaluated in premenopausal (n = 92) and postmenopausal (n = 118) healthy women with different body weight [three groups according to body mass index (BMI): normal, 18.5-24.99; overweight, 25-29.99; obese, 30-39.99 kg/m(2)]. Plasma GHBP levels were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography gel filtration. GH and insulin-like growth factor I levels were determined by immunoradiometric assay and RIA, respectively. GHBP levels were significantly higher in premenopausal women with BMI above 25 kg/m(2) (overweight, 3.789 +/- 0.306 nmol/L; obese, 4.372 +/- 0.431 nmol/L) than those observed in postmenopausal women (overweight, 1.425 +/- 0.09 nmol/L; obese, 1.506 +/- 0.177 nmol/L). No significant differences were found between normal weight premenopausal (1.741 +/- 0.104 nmol/L) and postmenopausal (1.524 +/- 0.202 nmol/L) women. In premenopausal women GHBP levels correlated positively with BMI (r = 0.675; P < 0.001), fat mass (FM; r = 0.782; P < 0.001; by BIA; r = 0.776; P < 0.001; by DEXA), truncal fat (TF; r = 0.682; P < 0.001), waist to hip circumference ratio (WHR; r = 0.551; P < 0.001), and E(2) (r = 0.298; P < 0.05), whereas no significant correlation was found in postmenopausal women between GHBP levels and BMI, FM, TF, WHR, or E(2). In normal weight pre- and postmenopausal women GHBP levels did not change between the ages of 20 and 69 yr. No statistically significant correlation was found between GHBP and age for all groups studied. Moreover, in two distinct subgroups of pre- and postmenopausal women, aged 40-49 yr, the direct relationship between GHBP levels and all indexes of adiposity were only observed in premenopausal women [BMI: r = 0.836; P < 0.001; FM: r = 0.745 (BIA) and r = 0.832 (DEXA); P < 0.001; TF: r = 0.782; P < 0.001; WHR: r = 0.551; P < 0.05], but not in postmenopausal women. In conclusion, the present data indicate a strong direct correlation between GHBP and body fat in premenopausal, but not in postmenopausal women, whereas they failed to detect a relationship between GHBP and age. Therefore, these results suggest that endogenous estrogen status may be an important determinant of the changes in GHBP levels in women with different body weights.     

Impact of body weight on long-term survival after lung transplantation

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a pretransplantation determination of body mass index (BMI) on survival after lung transplantation. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Univariate and multivariate survival analyses of a single institution database consisting of 85 patients who had undergone lung transplantations between March 1994 and October 1998. SETTING: University of Florida Health Science Center. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that patients who were obese (ie, BMI, > or = 30) at a pretransplantation assessment had a marked decrease in posttransplantation survival time (log rank, p < 0.05; Wilcoxon, p < 0.05). The final Cox regression model revealed that the most powerful predictors of mortality after lung transplantation were higher pretransplantation BMI and the development of obliterative bronchiolitis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the posttransplantation risk for mortality is possibly three times greater for obese patients than for nonobese patients. Additional study is needed to identify the mechanisms for such higher risk in obese patients. Our data also suggest that transplantation centers should not routinely reject underweight patients (ie, BMI, < 18.5) or overweight patients (ie, BMI, 25 to 29.9) for lung transplantation listing solely on the basis of weight, as their outcomes may not be significantly different than patients with normal BMIs.     

体质量指数与ARDS发病率的荟萃分析

目的 采用荟萃分析的方法系统评价体质量指数(body mass index,BMI)对ARDS发病率的影响.方法 以“obese or overweight or body mass index or BMI"和“ARDS or acuterespiratory distress syndrome”为关键词,计算机检索Pubmed、EMBASE、Cochrane databases、Wiley、Ovid、Medline、CNKI、VIP、Wan fang数据库中关于BMI与ARDS发病率的相关文献,运用RevMan 5.0及stata 10.0软件进行荟萃分析.结果 共纳入14篇文献,共29 962例患者.荟萃分析结果显示:肥胖与ARDS发病率明显相关(OR =1.70,95％ CI 1.44～2.00,P＜0.01).亚组分析结果显示:与正常体质量患者比较,低体质量(BMI≤18.5 kg/m2)及超重(BMI 25～29.9 kg/m2)患者ARDS发病率差异无统计学意义(OR =1.21,95％ CI 0.72～2.02,P=0.47和OR =1.21,95％CI0.94～1.55,P=0.13);肥胖患者(BMI 30-39.9 kg/m2和BMI≥30 kg/m2)ARDS发病率较正常体质量患者明显升高(BMI 30～39.9 kg/m2:OR=1.35,95％ CI 1.12～1.63,P=0.002;BMI≥30kg/m2:OR =1.75,95％ CI 1.42～2.15,P＜0.01);重度肥胖(BMI≥40 kg/m2)患者ARDS发病率是正常体质量患者的1.85倍(OR =1.85,95％ CI 1.40～2.44,P＜0.01).结论 BMI是ARDS发病的独立危险因素之一.随着BMI增加,ARDS患病率明显升高.