Arterial Stiffness and Obesity: Indicators of Occupational Risk
摘要
Introduction: Arterial stiffness is a predictor of cardiovascular disease and is modulated through changes in hemodynamic forces and extrinsic factors, such as hormones and inflammatory mediators, promoting an alteration in vascular distensibility. Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) is the method of choice for assessing arterial stiffness. The development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is evident in most individuals diagnosed with obesity. Thus, it is important to relate these two parameters, arterial stiffness, and obesity, in order to understand the consequences that this result entails in the human body. Objective: This study aimed to correlate the parameters of arterial stiffness and obesity in female workers, aged between 18 and 65 years, realizing how there is a variation between both variants and realizing what consequences they entail on human health. Methods: This study included the presence of 50 female subjects, with a minimum age of 21 years, maximum of 64 years and mean age of 42.82 ± 11.69 years. BMI was evaluated as a nutritional parameter, with an average value of 26.64 ± 4.90 kg/m2. Results: In the present study, 20 female workers were of normal weight, 22 were overweight and only 8 were diagnosed with obesity. The results of this study allowed us to find positive correlations between the arterial stiffness parameter and the presence of hypertension, smoking habits and age. Conclusions: Although there was no positive correlation between arterial stiffness and obesity, it was found that there was a significant correlation between the parameters of age, hypertension and smoking with PWV.