Relation between BMI and Degree of Coronary Artery Obstruction

Background- Obesity is introduced as a known risk factor of coronary artery disease (CAD) by the American Heart Association. Body mass index (BMI) is an index used for the evaluation of body weight. Despite the presence of the relationship between BMI and occurrence of coronary artery disease, no relationship has been found between the degree of coronary artery obstruction and BMI, which is the main issue of this research. Methods- In order to determine BMI at different stages of coronary artery obstruction, this descriptive study was done on 215 patients referred to the angiography unit and BMI was measured at different stages of coronary artery obstruction. Questionnaires containing demographic features and risk factors of CAD were completed. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive analysis tests. Results- Of 215 patients under study with a mean age of 55 years (83 men and 132 women), all of them suffered from coronary artery problems ranging from one-vessel disease to complete obstruction. The severity of coronary artery obstructions and the number of vessels involved had a direct relationship with an increase in BMI. There was a significant relationship between the degree of BMI and observation of severity in obstruction during angiography (p<0.005). Conclusion- Considering the aim of this study and the main finding, which is the presence of a significant relationship between the degree and severity of coronary obstruction with BMI and since BMI is known as a coronary artery disease risk factor, BMI can be named as a predictor of the severity of obstruction. Further studies are, however, required (Iranian Heart Journal 2007; 8 (4): 53-56).