Large waist-to-hip ratio risks breathing complications in weight loss surgery

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Obese patients with a larger waist-to-hip ratio are more at risk of breathing difficulties, according to a new study.
Weight loss surgery is not without complications, and one issue is a patient's respiratory health. A team at McGill University Health Center, Montreal, now reports upon how waist-to-hip ratio affects pulmonary gas exchange - a measure of respiratory function - among patients awaiting such surgery.

They studied 25 morbidly obese patients and measured pulmonary gas exchange through arterial blood samples. Body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were also measured. The men in the group tended to have a larger waist-to-hip ratio than the women - that is, they were more likely to have an 'apple' shape than a 'pear' shape. The men also had a poorer pulmonary gas exchange which was linked to the higher waist-to-hip ratio. An impaired pulmonary gas exchange means that there could be breathing complications related to weight loss surgery. Further research by the team will look at the outcome of surgery related to waist-to-hip ratio.

Source
Chest February 2007 Volume 131 pages 362-367

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