Evaluation of autonomic function in obese and non obese adolescent

Nahid Khan; Jyoti Ganai; Sunil Kohli; Shobitha Muthukrishnan

Nahid Khan Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, HIMSR, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India.
Jyoti Ganai Departments of Rehabilitation Sciences, HIMSR, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India.
Sunil Kohli Departments of Physiology, HIMSR, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
Shobitha Muthukrishnan Deaprtment of Medicine, HIMSR, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India

Keywords: Adolescence, autonomic dysfunction, obesity

Abstract

Reports on autonomic dysfunction associated with obesity in adolescent population are limited and also are conflicting. Therefore in the present study, we have evaluated the difference in autonomic function between the obese and nonobese adolescents. Sixty‑five adolescent subjects aged between 17 and 19 years were selected from HAHC Hospital, Jamia Hamdard. Based on their body mass index, these subjects were divided into a nonobese group (n = 54) and obese group (n = 11). Autonomic function tests for assessing parasympathetic function (such as heart rate response to immediate standing and standing to lying ratio) and sympathetic function (such as blood pressure response to immediate standing and cold pressor test) were employed. There was no difference in sympathetic and parasympathetic function between the obese and nonobese adolescents. Therefore, the findings of the present study suggest that the autonomic dysfunction was not statistically significant in the studied adolescent population.