Chest wall regional volumes in obese women.

Excess body fat, particularly in the abdominal region, is responsible for respiratory system alterations. To study if and how both lung function and thoraco-abdominal volume variations during quiet breathing are altered in obese women and to determine if different obesity patterns in women have an influence on lung and chest wall function, 30 obese women (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m(2)) with both central and peripheral obesity were studied by spirometry and opto-electronic plethysmography during quiet breathing and compared with normoweight women. Compared to controls, obese were characterized by lung restriction and higher minute ventilation at rest. Pulmonary rib cage tidal volume variations were significantly lower and abdominal volume variations higher in obese women. No differences were found between central and peripheral obese women. In conclusion, in obese women, independently if obesity is central or peripheral, both lung function and thoraco-abdominal pattern during spontaneous breathing are strongly altered. The amount of fat in the abdominal compartment, and not the peripheral, alters the respiratory system.