Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obesity is one of the major public health issues worldwide and is known to be associated with an increased risk of severe metabolic and cardiovascular complication. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of obesity severity on the metabolic profile of obese patients.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study involving 68 obese patients carried within the National Institute of Nutrition in Tunis. The patients were divided into two groups: 34 patients with a BMI between 30 and 34,99 kg/m² (G1) and 34 patients with a BMI ≥40 kg/m² (G2). Each patient underwent clinical examination, fasting blood sampling for metabolic profile and an abdominal ultrasound for fatty liver disease.

Results: Median age was 47,67 years in G1 versus 46,85 years in G2 (P = NS). A clear female predominance was noted in both groups with an F/H sex ratio of 4,66 in G1 and 16 in G2. The average BMI was 32,67 kg/m² in G1 compared to 44,55 kg/m² in G2. The average waist circumference was significantly higher in G2 than in G1 (130 cm vs 112,94 cm, P < 10-3). The prevalence of diabetes was 35,29% in G1 and 23,53% in G2 (P = NS). Mean fasting blood glucose levels were comparable in both groups (7,79 mmol/l in G1 and 7,4 mmol/l in G2, P = NS). The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in G2 (23,53%) than in G1 (17,65%), P = NS. The mean total cholesterol level in mmol/l was comparable between the two groups (4,80 in G1 vs 4,87 in G2, P = NS). The mean triglycerides level in mmol/l was significantly higher in G2 than in G1 (1,33 in G1 vs 1,71 in G2, P = 0,0024). The average HDL cholesterol level in mmol/l was higher in G1 than in G2 (1,28 in G1 vs 1,20 in G2, P = NS). The mean uric acid level in micromol/L was significantly higher in G2 than in G1 (350,61 in G2 versus 284,64 in G1, P < 10-3). Fatty liver disease prevalence was higher in G2 than in G1 (11,76% vs 5,88%) with no statistically significant difference (P = NS).

Conclusion: Our study showed that the severity of obesity is associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic disorders justifying early management of obesity in order to delay the onset of these abnormalities.