Obesity paradox and cardiovascular diseases.

The present review summaries data describing the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular outcomes. Links between obesity and chronic coronary syndromes, acute coronary syndromes, coronary revascularization, ischemic stroke, heart failure, hypertension and atrial fibrillation were evaluated. Data from epidemiological studies, prospective studies with lifestyle modification or medical therapy, and results of the meta-analysis were evaluated. The majority of publications report the presence of an 'obesity paradox'. According to this, overweight or obese patients with cardiovascular conditions have a better prognosis than patients with normal weight or underweight. At the same time, no information about comorbidities, concomitant medication, or other causes of low weight was not given in the majority of studies. Moreover, weight reduction as a result of medical intervention leads to improvement of the prognosis and patients' quality of life. This analysis of the literature suggests that the 'obesity paradox' may not be an isolated medical phenomenon, but rather a corollary of the interpretation of the epidemiological data, and that medically-supervised weight loss should remain a key factor in recuing cardiovascular complications in obese people. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.