The prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity according to the sample of the Moscow region

Introduction . Obesity is a major factor for cardiometabolic risk. However, there is a category of obese patients without disorders of lipid, carbohydrate metabolism and cardiovascular disease – metabolically healthy obese (MHO). Aim . Our goal was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of this phenotype compared to patients with metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and methods . To evaluate the prevalence of the MHO phenotype we analyzed 389 medical records of females aged 18–60 years with obesity. Three types of MHO criteria were used: 1) HOMA index (<2.7); 2) IDF-criteria of metabolic syndrome, 2005; 3) the BioSHaRE-EU 2013 criteria (obese patients without any symptoms of MS). We conducted a comparative analysis of anthropometry, status of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, the functional state of the liver. Results . The MHO prevalence was: 34.5% according to HOMA index, according to the definitions of MS 2005 – 38.6%, in BioSHaRE-EU – 9.6%. In groups of MHO and MS dyslipidemia was observed in 27.3 and 49.5% (p<0.05), hypertension in 25% and 71.6% (p<0.05), steatogepatosis in 47.7% vs 51.3% (p<0.05) of observations, respectively. Among comorbidities the gynecological pathology was most prevalent - 50.8 and 61.4% (p<0.05), disorders of carbohydrate metabolism differed significantly in frequency- 6.82 and 39.1% of patients (p<0.05). Patients with MHO had a shorter duration of the existence of obesity than MS (18.7 vs. 24 years) (p=0.0004) and less likely to have attempted to reduce weight – 85.8% and 91.6%. Average BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, insulin basal, basal C-peptide, HOMA index in groups of MHO and MS differed significantly (p<0.05). Median ALT was 20 and 23.2 U/l, AST – 20 and 23 U/l, triglycerides – 1.1 and 1.8 mmol/l, high-density lipoprotein – 1.4 and 1.1 mmol/l, respectively. Conclusions . The MHO prevalence was maximal according to the MS definitions from 2005, and minimal with BioSHaRE-EU criteria. The main analyzed indicators differed significantly in groups MHO and MS. Longer obesity existence in the MS group may suggest an instability of MHO phenotype over time.