肥胖增加罹患心房纤维性颤动的风险

一项最新研究发现了肥胖与罹患心房纤维性颤动之间的联系。该项研究结果发表在2004年11月24日《美国医学会期刊》。

研究人员研究了5282例参与Framingham心脏研究项目的患者，该项研究项目是由美国国立心脏、肺脏与血液研究院(NHLBI, Bethesda, MD, USA)主持的，在研究项目开始的时候患者没有心房纤维性颤动。这些受试者根据体重指数分成三个类别：正常、超重与肥胖。在大约14年的时间内，研究人员发现心房纤维性颤动发生率随着体重指数的增加而增加，男性与女性患者都是如此。那些体重指数最高的患者，罹患心房纤维性颤动的风险增加了50％。

根据Framingham心脏研究项目主任、该研究的共同作者Daniel Levy医生的说法，这些研究结果需要得到其他研究项目的证实。如果这些研究结果得到进一步证实，Levy医生相信，控制体重除了能够降低患高血压、糖尿病以及其他肥胖相关性并发症之外，还能够降低罹患心房纤维性颤动的风险。

Obesity Linked to Atrial Fibrillation
 
A new study has found an association between obesity and the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). The finding was reported in the November 24, 2004, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Investigators studied 5,282 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, conducted by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI, Bethesda, MD, USA), who did not have AF when the study began. These subjects were divided into three categories of body mass index (BMI): normal, overweight, and obese. Over a period of about 14 years, the investigators found that the incidence of AF increased as BMI increased, for both men and women. For those with the highest BMI, the AF risk could increase by 50%.

These findings should be confirmed by other observational studies, according to Daniel Levy, M.D., a co-author of the study and director of the Framingham Heart Study. If the study is validated, Dr. Levy believes weight control may lower the risk for AF, in addition to reducing risk for hypertension, diabetes, and other obesity-related complications.