BACKGROUND: Microvascular dysfunction (MD: impaired performance of blood flow, tissue perfusion, blood pressure, etc.) is one of the earliest stages in the progression of various chronic diseases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if a difference in microvascular function existed between two metabolically healthy groups that differed in BMI and waist circumference. DESIGN: This study employed a causal comparative design, with two groups: I) normal weight (n =14, BMI 28 kg/m2). METHODS: Microvascular function was assessed by measuring skin blood flow (SkBF) using laser Doppler flowmetry during postocclusive reactive hyperemia (PORH). The area under the SkBF time curve during the 60-second PORH response was used to quantify the magnitude of the microvascular response. RESULTS: Group I (control) had a significantly higher average area under the SkBF time curve (3240 ± 879) than Group II (1948 ± 808) (Z= -3.0094, p = 0.0026). CONCLUSIONS: The overweight/obese subjects exhibited a diminished skin blood flow response to occlusion compared to their normal-weight counterparts. This supports the hypothesis that overweight/obese subjects who are otherwise metabolically healthy exhibit a biological change that is linked to chronic disease.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-5336 |
| Date | 01 December 2014 |
| Creators | Earl, Nathan R |
| Publisher | BYU ScholarsArchive |
| Source Sets | Brigham Young University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/ |
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