Endocrine Abstracts

Aims: To document clinical associations of perceived well-being (PWB) in obese subjects

Methods: Prospectively collected ‘Obesity Polyclinic’ database was retrospectively analyzed for the answers of the questionnaries fullfilled during the initial evaluation for obesity. After exclusion unavailable cases, the answers to the question ‘how do you describe your general health/well-being? i) very well ii) well iii) not bad iv) bad v) too bad’ each were categorized, and these groups were compared for BMI per se, total body fat content, waist–hip ratio, fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, LDL-C, HDL-C, TSH, anti-thyroid peroxidase, free thyroxine, hemoglobin, creatinine, transaminases, 25(OH)D, albumin levels. As a secondary analysis, the associations of the symptoms with the PWB were examined.

Results: During the study period, who satisfied the inclusion criteria, 623 subjects (M/F: 69/554, median 42-year-old with a BMI of 34.6 kg/m²) had had completed the initial evaluation form. The distribution of answers to PWB was as 89 (14.3%) well, 269 (43.2%) not bad, 229 (36.7%) bad, and 36 (5.8%) too bad. Nervousness, sleep disturbances, headache, depressive mood, lassitude correlated with PWB. The curve estimation demonstrated independent associations of increasing PWB scores with higher levels of 25(OH)D, albumin, and HDL-C, but no association with HOMA-IR or presence of metabolic syndrome or TSH or anti-thyroid peroxidase levels. Further, both 25(OH)D and albumin levels associated with the number of symptoms also (i.e. 68.8% of subjects with 25(OH)D levels ≧30 ng/ml had 0–1 symptom, 25.0% had 2–3 symptoms, and 6.2% had 4–5 symptoms; whereas this distribution in subjects with 25(OH)D levels<20 ng/ml was as: 33.2% had 0–1 symptom, 33.6% had 2–3 symptoms, 33.2% had 4–5 symptoms, P=0.006; similar distribution differences were observed between albumin level groups).

Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D and albumin levels are associated with PWB and with the symptoms frequently encountered in obese subjects.