Elsevier

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Volume 8, Issue 6, November–December 2014, Pages e614-e617
Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Research Letter
Weight loss and P wave dispersion: a preliminary study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2014.08.005Get rights and content

Summary

Background

The aim of this study is to investigate if therapeutic weight loss reduces P wave dispersion.

Methods

20 obese patients (10 males and 10 females), part of a randomized clinical trial, were examined over a 6 month period. They were treated with a diet, aiming at 5% weight loss at the 6th month. After physical examination, they underwent laboratory tests, bioelectrical impedance analysis and a electrocardiogram (ECG). ECGs were transferred to a personal computer via a scanner and then magnified 400 times. We examined at baseline and at the 6th month, maximum and minimum P-wave duration, P-wave dispersion and heart rate.

Results

Comparing responders (patients who lost 5% of weight at t6) and not responders (who lost less than 5%), responders showed a significant reduction of P wave dispersion value (−0.38 [SD: 0.35] mm equal to −32.3 [SD: 11.3] % p = 0.00001). All responders present a reduction of P wave dispersion, while for not-responders this is no longer evident. Finally, a good degree of correlation (r = 0.54) between P wave dispersion difference and the decrease of weight was noticed. Females have a better response in P dispersion reduction strictly connected with their weight loss with a good correlation, (r = 0.7, p = 0.002), versus a moderate correlation evidenced in males (r = 0.5, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

P wave duration and dispersion are significantly reduced in patients who lost more than 5% of weight and this decrease is highly related to the extent of weight loss.

References (11)

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