ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity is known to cause a number of life style diseases. In spite of this, the developed and developing world is faced with increasing number of people with high Body fat. In the present study we evaluated the correlation of Heart rate variability with the anthropometric parameters depicting body fat among young students recruited from our Medical school. Materials and methods: Two hundred and forty medical students (120 males & 120 females) were selected on the basis of their BMI into four groups: viz. Normal (N), Underweight (UW), Overweight (OW) & Obese (OB), [n=30 each]. Their Lean Body Mass (LBM), W/H ratio were calculated and tabulated, their HRV was recorded for 5 minutes and both time domain and frequency domain analysis was done. Results: The body fat was significantly higher in OW and OB groups as reflected in increased W/H ratio and lower LBM. (p<0.001) and significantly lesser in the UW group. But women showed significantly more W/H ratio and lesser LBM compared to men in the same group (p<0.01). Cardiac autonomic control represented by HRV showed significant reduction in the OW and Obese groups (p<0.01). HRV parameters were significantly lower in Underweight subjects when compared to Normal subjects. Conclusions: The HRV parameters showed a sympathetic predominance as the body fat increases. Females showed higher Body fat content compared to men. Therefore the treatment strategy should involve in weight reduction and diet control in vulnerable subjects and sustained physical exercise regimen may be prescribed to prevent the possible cardiovascular and endocrine disorders which they are prone. Key words: BMI, LMB, Waist hip ratio, Heart rate variability.
ABSTRACT
Celiac disease (CD) has long been known to be associated with neurological and psychiatric manifestations; its in association with myotonic dystrophy however has not yet been reported. We report the case of a 27-year old female patient who presented to us with diarrhoea, weight loss, easy fatigability, irritability and alopecia of 8 months duration and was diagnosed to have celiac disease and put on gluten free diet. 8 weeks later she developed neurological symptoms and was found to have myotoni dystrophy in addition. At six month follow up patient had gained 5 kg, but the neurological symptoms remained the same. Treatment of neurological symptoms associated with gluten hypersensitivity depends on the type of neurological syndrome associated. Only exceptionally do these symptoms improve with gluten restriction and, in some patients, the neurological manifestations even progress despite resolution of both pathologic findings and intestinal symptoms.