HDCN Abstract:  ASN Annual Meeting -- San Francisco  

Park J, Middlekauff HR, Campese VM

Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity Is Elevated in Overweight Individuals.

ASN Annual Meeting -- San Francisco
J Am Soc Nephrol (Nov) 18:628A 2007

Background: Overweight individuals (BMI 25-29.9) are at higher risk for cardiovascular and renal disease when compared to individuals of normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9). Although sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity has consistently been shown to be elevated in both normotensive and hypertensive obese individuals (BMI 30), it is unknown if overweight individuals, with a lesser degree of excess weight, also have heightened SNS activity. In this study, we compared muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in overweight individuals versus normal- weight individuals.

Methods: In 10 healthy controls of normal weight and 5 healthy age-matched overweight individuals without hypertension, we measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR).

Results: As expected, the mean BMI in the overweight group (26.9) was higher than that of normal-weight controls (21.7). MSNA reported as bursts per minute was significantly higher (P=0.0042) in overweight individuals (35.32 5.76) compared to controls (18.82 1.89). HR (overweight vs. controls, 79.9 4.0 versus 68.7 2.1, P=0.0171), SBP (132.4 mmHg versus 111.4 mmHg, P=0.0048), and DBP (73.4 mmHg versus 63.2 mmHg, P=0.0563) were higher in overweight individuals when compared to controls.

Conclusions: MSNA and BP are significantly higher in overweight individuals compared to normal-weight individuals. Heightened SNS activity may contribute to increased BP and cardiovascular risk in overweight as well as in obese subjects.

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