| Abstract: | We have studied the frequency and structure of cardiac rhythm (CR) disturbances in the women presenting with abdominal obesity (AO) in the postmenopausal period. The single-step study involved 210 postmenopausal women (median age 57 years) who were examined by 24-hour ECG monitoring, measurement of arterial pressure, body mass index, and the relationship between waist and hip circumferences. CR disturbances were revealed in all 159 women with abdominal obesity, ischemia in 16.9%, supraventricular extrasystole in 89.3%, ventricular extrasystole (VE) in 58.5%, high-grade extrasystole in 23.9%, paroxysms of supraventricular tachycardia in 1.9%, periods of asystole in 1.3%, synoatrial and atrioventricular blockade in 9.9%, His bundle branch block in 3.3%, sinus tachycardia in 48.8%, and sinus brachycardia in 23.9% of the patients. The risk of development of VE in the women with AO increased by 3.8 times in the presence of concomitant coronary heart disease and by 2.9 times in case of chronic cardiac failure. The frequency of VE was significantly higher in the patients with abdominal obesity than without it (odds ratio 2.2). It is concluded that women presenting with abdominal obesity during the postmenopausal period are characterized by the high frequency of cardiac rhythm disturbances and ischemia, with each fourth patient being at high risk of sudden death. The elevated risk of ventricular extrasystole in the postmenopausal period is associated with AO, coronary heart disease, and chronic heart failure. The frequency of VE is unrelated to ulcer disease, chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, chronic pancreatitis, and impaired function of the thyroid gland. |
