Assessment of relationship between measures of obesity and arterial stiffness in young healthy adults

Background: Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Overweight and obese individuals have significantly stiffer arteries than normal weight individuals, which might lead on to various cardiovascular complications. Aim: This study was undertaken to assess the effect of body fat on arterial stiffness in young adults. Arterial stiffness was analyzed by stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI) derived from digital volume pulse (DVP) waveform. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthy adults in the age group of 17-25 years from private medical, nursing, and dental colleges in Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: Ninety-seven young healthy adults of both sexes in the age group of 17-25 years were included in the study. Anthropometric measures like height, total body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) were measured. SI and RI derived from the finger photoplethysmographic DVP waveform. Statistical Analysis: Associations between SI and RI, and BMI and WC were assessed with Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: There was a strong correlation between SI/RI and BMI and WC in males and females ( r > 0.9). Conclusion: Obesity is associated with arterial stiffness in the young Indian population the association between SI/RI and BMI, the age at which it appears, and the prevalence of obesity among the young adults warn us about the increase in incidence of cardiovascular diseases.