The Relationship Between Body Mass Index And Index of Cardiac Electrophisiological Balance

Background: The relationship between obesity and changes in electrocardiographic wave duration were demonstrated previously. The aim of our study was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (ICEB)/corrected index of cardiac electrophysiological balance (ICEBc). Materials and Methods: A total of 353 consecutive patients with no comorbidities other than obesity admitted to an outpatient cardiology clinic between September and November 2023 were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into 5 groups according to their BMI as follows: BMI <20 kg/m2 was defined as group 1, BMI 20–24.99 kg/m2 as group 2, BMI 25–29.99 kg/m2 as group 3, BMI 30–39.99 kg/m2 as group 4 and BMI >40 kg/m2 as group 5. Electrocardiographic parameters ICEB/ICEBc levels were compared among the groups. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.6±10.61 years, and 199 (56.4%) were female. The mean ICEB values of groups were 4.36±0.53, 4.17±0.53, 4.04±0.52, 4.27±0.55 and 4.18±0.47, respectively and there was a significant difference among the groups (p=0.014). In addition, the mean ICEBc values were 5.03±0.69, 4.81±0.63, 4.6±0.56, 5.05±0.68, and 5.05±0.52, respectively and there was a significant difference among the groups (p<0.001). It was found that low and high BMI groups were associated with a significant increase in ICEB and ICEBc values in the subgroup analyses. Conclusions: As a result of our study, it was observed that low and high BMI values may be associated with an increase in ICEB and ICEBc values. It should be kept in mind that ICEB and ICEBc values may be high in cardiac evaluation in relatively thin and obese individuals.