Body mass index in a large cohort of patients assigned to age decades between <20 and ≥80 years: relationship with cardiovascular morbidity and medication.

OBJECTIVE: There is an ongoing debate about the relationship between obesity and morbidity in the elderly, the clinical relevance of overweight and obesity in older patients and the need or harms of treatment. The main purpose of our study was to investigate whether a higher BMI is associated with a worse cardiovascular risk in all age groups, especially in the older ones. SUBJECTS AND DESIGN: We performed a retrospective evaluation of clinical data from 3926 patients who visited a medical outdoor center for diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions in the period from January 1995 to July 2010. Patients were assigned to eight age groups of one decade from <20 years to ≥80 years. RESULTS: The Body Mass Index (BMI) of our patients showed a continuous increase with increasing age with peak values in the age decade 61-70 years (26.29 ±4.42 kg/m2). This was paralleled by an increase in cardiovascular events and need for continuous medication, demonstrating peak values in the age decade 61-70 years (22.3% in the female and 24.7% in the male group). In all age decades up to 80 years the BMI values were higher in patients with events compared to those without it. multivariable linear regression analysis - including confounding variables (blood pressure, fasting glucose, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, physical activity, smoking) - revealed for all age groups a strong positive relation of BMI and a negative relation of fat free mass (FFM) to the probability for a cardiovascular event and need for medication. CONCLUSION: In all age groups, the percentage of cardiovascular events was directly correlated with the BMI. Having in mind the transition to an aging society, therapeutic and preventive strategies should, therefore, include weight management strategies also for the elderly.

The metabolic syndrome as a link between smoking and cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: Smoking is associated with a significant increase in the cardiovascular risk. The possible relationship of smoking with insulin resistance might further enhance the cardiovascular risk of the patients and is therefore of great clinical interest. DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS: We have retrospectively evaluated data of 3804 non-diabetic men attending a medical outdoor clinic. Clinical [body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, waist-to-hip ratio] and laboratory results were compared between smokers (n = 124) and non-smokers (n = 1915) without cardiovascular disease, as well as between smokers (n = 759) and non-smokers (n = 1006) with cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: Smokers without clinically manifest cardiovascular disease revealed significantly higher fasting glucose (5.8 +/- 0.6 mmol/l) and triglyceride levels (1.8 +/- 0.9 mmol/l) than non-smokers (fasting glucose: 5.1 +/- 0.7 mmol/l, p < 0.010; triglycerides: 1.5 +/- 0.8 mmol/l, p < 0.030). The adverse metabolic profile of smokers was even more pronounced in patients with cardiovascular disease. An age-matched analysis of smokers could demonstrate that cardiovascular patients revealed higher BMI values (27.3 +/- 2.4 kg/m2) and a higher percentage of body fat (25.5 +/- 5.5%) than those without cardiovascular disease (BMI: 25.7 +/- 2.2 kg/m2, p < 0.010; percentage of body fat: 23.0 +/- 5.5%, p < 0.030). CONCLUSION: In men with and without clinically manifest cardiovascular disease, smoking was associated with a metabolic profile indicating a higher degree of insulin resistance.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha plasma levels in elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus-observations over 2 years.

AIMS: The cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is involved in the development of obesity-linked insulin resistance. TNF-alpha plasma levels rise with increasing age and might thus also be related to metabolic control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We have studied the relationship of TNF-alpha plasma levels to glycaemic control in elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes over 2 years. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data of 53 patients (26 women, 27 men) with Type 2 diabetes (mean age 71.6 +/- 5.6 years) were regularly evaluated over 2 years, and the relationship to anti-diabetic treatment regimens analysed. TNF-alpha plasma level was measured by a solid-phase enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay. RESULTS: TNF-alpha plasma levels increased significantly from 16.2 +/- 9.6 pg/ml at baseline to 28.0 +/- 13.8 pg/ml after 2 years (P = 0.028). HbA1c values also increased from 6.4 +/- 1.2% to 7.7 +/- 1.6% (P = 0.046). Mean body mass index of the patients remained almost constant, while a moderate increase in the percentage of body fat (34.5 +/- 7.0% to 35.3 +/- 6.9%; P= 0.061) and in waist-hip ratio was observed (0.86 +/- 0.04 to 0.88 +/- 0.04; P= 0.052). After adjustment for covariates multivariate analysis demonstrated that TNF-alpha plasma levels are positively related to the HbA1c values of the whole study population at the baseline control and after 2 years. TNF-alpha also revealed a positive correlation to the percentage of body fat. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes TNF-alpha plasma levels revealed a continuous increase during an observation period of 2 years. This increase in TNF-alpha plasma levels might add another aspect to the worsening of glycaemic control in the progression of Type 2 diabetes.

The correlation of office blood pressure and 24-hour ambulatory measurements in hypertensive patients - comparison between non-pharmacological treatment and antihypertensive medication.

Blood pressure control in many hypertensive patients remains imperfect, also because routine office blood pressure can only give limited information about diurnal variations and nocturnal dipping. It was the aim of our evaluation to study the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy and the correlation between repeated office blood pressure values and 24-hour ambulatory measurements in hypertensive outdoor patients treated by life-style modification and antihypertensive medication. Clinical data and blood pressure values in 343 outdoor patients who were admitted to the medical centre for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in hypertension were evaluated. Database was created from 1991 to 1998. The study population (mean age 59.5 +/- 11.6 years) comprised 153 men and 190 women, 141 (41%) were treated by life-style modification, 202 (59%) received antihypertensive medication. 57 patients showed symptoms of a metabolic syndrome, 62 suffered from manifest diabetes mellitus type 2. - Repeated office blood pressure measurements showed a significant positive correlation to the systolic and diastolic values obtained by 24-hour blood controls. While diastolic night minima revealed a positive correlation to office measurements (R = 0. 211; P <0.05), systolic night minima showed no correlation to office pressure control. In the whole study population and in subgroups (metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus) patients under antihypertensive medication still revealed significantly higher mean 24-hour systolic blood pressure values (140.5 +/- 16.9 mm Hg) than patients treated by life-style modification (133.0 +/- 14.4 mm Hg; P <0.001). Diastolic day- and night-time difference (dipping) was less pronounced in patients with antihypertensive medication. For appropriate antihypertensive therapy 24-hour blood pressure measurements are thus of advantage to repeated office controls especially to optimize medication for high systolic blood pressure values and adapt therapy to the nocturnal decrease of blood pressure values (dipping).