VARIATIONS IN VITAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN OBESITY AND OBESITY-ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS AMONG NIGERIANS

The goal of the study was to find the effect of obesity and obesity associated complications on some vital physiological parameters. In a bid to achieve this objective, four hundred and eight (408) subjects (obese-204; ) and (non obese-204; ) were recruited for the study and distributed as follow: Group A; Obese Diabetic (59), Group B; Obese Hypertensive (59), Group C; Obese Diabetic/Hypertensive (41), Group D; Obese only (45), Group E; Non Obese Diabetic (51), Group F; Non Obese Hypertensive (53), Group G; Non Obese Diabetic/Hypertensive (40), Group H; Non Obese Non Diabetic/Hypertensive-normal control (60). Weight, height, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Results showed that the youngest mean age was in group H while the oldest was group. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure of group F was the highest while those of group G (normal control) was the lowest. Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in obese only (group D) and obese diabetic (group A) as compared to normal control (group G). On the other hand, fasting blood glucose was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the obese diabetic group (A; 10.91±4.6 mmol/L) as compared to non obese diabetic group E (11.04±3.30 mmol/L). Obviously, body mass index (Kg/M2) was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the obese groups compared to the corresponding non obese group. Conclusively from this study, obesity is associated with variations in blood pressure and fasting blood glucose levels and that complication associated with obesity is better in terms of co-morbidities as compared with non obese individual. It is therefore recommended that changes in other significant profile in obese and non obese associated complication be investigated in a view to discover biomarker in predicting outcomes of obesity and its associated conditions.