[Cardiovascular risk factors in patients with morbid obesity: weight loss influence]. / Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en pacientes con obesidad mórbida: influencia de la pérdida de peso.

BACKGROUND: We studied the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with morbid obesity and analyzed the influence of weight loss achieved through diet on these factors. We also evaluated the influence of gender on the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and on its response to diet. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An anthropometric evaluation was performed in patients with morbid obesity (23 men and 36 women). The presence of cardiovascular risk factors was evaluated (fibrinogen, blood pressure, glucose metabolism determination by means of oral glucose tolerance test, complete lipid profile, sleep apnea syndrome), before and after following, on an alternative fashion, very-low calorie and low-calorie diets. The comparison was made with the t-test for paired samples. RESULTS: A very significant weight loss was achieved in our patients, particularly in men (decrease of 33.4 kg, 95% CI: 26.9 to 39.8). This was accompanied by a reduction in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, particularly in men, in whom the body fat distribution improved significantly (decrease in waist: 24.8 cm, 95% CI 18.4 to 36.5), as well as the lipid profile including triglycerides, VLDLc, HDLc and B100 apoprotein. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with morbid obesity have a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. A significant reduction of this prevalence can be achieved with diet during one year. This improvement is particularly significant in men.