The obesity and its meaning in cardiovascular diseases Part 1. Obesity as a risk factor

Abstract

Obesity is an excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue due to genetic background and environmental conditions. According to WHO it can be identifid with BMI > 30 kg/m². It is a chronic disease, with global range, an epidemic of XXI age. It is a well-known risk factor of many cardiovascular (CV) diseases, coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), stroke, metabolic disorders (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia) and a cause of permanent disability or premature death. There are 3 types of obesity: metabolic obese with normal weight (MONW), androgenic (an apple) and gynoic (a pear) obesity. Each one is a consequence of imbalance between energy supply and its combustion and usually has a genetical background, but has a diffrent course. MONW can lead (if not stopped by a proper diet and physical activity) to CV and metabolic disorders, the pear type predisposes to joint degeneration, while an apple type is related to cardiac diseases such as MI, stroke, hypertension (HT). Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ producing many hormones and mediators. „Sick fat“ or adiposopathia is a pathologic state due to chronic inflmmatory process taking place in adipose tissue, leading to obesity and its pathologic consequences. The obese patients more often and earlier suffr from HT, CAD, MI, HF, rhythm disorders and even sudden cardiac death (SCD). Obesity leads to insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and fially to diabetes mellitus t. 2 (DM t.2). This article is a short review of obesity and its role in cardiovascular diseases.