Evaluation of Autonomic Dysfunction in Underweight, Normal Weight, Overweight and Obese Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Though there are several studies available on effects of obesity on cardiac autonomic dysfunction and effects of COPD on cardiac autonomic dysfunction separately but search on combined effect of obesity and COPD on cardiac autonomic dysfunction fails to produce results. Therefore there was a need to evaluate the changes in autonomic dysfunction with increasing BMI in patients with COPD.

Objective: The aims of this study were 1) to compare autonomic dysfunction in patients with COPD with increasing BMI, 2) to correlate autonomic dysfunction in patients with COPD with increasing BMI.

Methodology: In the present study, 42 subjects were categorized into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese category. Non invasive cardiac autonomic function tests were carried out in these subjects.

Results: The mean ± SD age of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese patients with COPD were 57.667 ± 5.1640, 61.007 ± 8.8991, 55.800± 6.6106 and 56.200± 7.1204 respectively. It was found that there was no correlation between BMI and autonomic dysfunction responses in patients with COPD. All four cardiac autonomic function test came out to be non significant statistically [Karl Pearson correlation (r), ns-p < 0.05]. Multiple comparisons between underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese patients with COPD for cardiac autonomic responses, FEV₁, PEF were statistically non significant.

Conclusion: In present study, although the results have shown that there was definite autonomic neuropathy in patients with COPD with increasing BMI, there was no significant difference in autonomic dysfunction with increasing BMI in patients with COPD.