Clinical characterization of individuals with obesity but normal blood pressure and heart function – a descriptive study from the SCAPIS cohort

Heart failure (HF) and arterial hypertension (AH) are strongly associated with obesity, with a linear relationship to increasing body mass index (BMI). However, some individuals with obesity do not exhibit signs of HF or AH.

This study aimed to compare, for the first time in a large population-based cohort, individuals with obesity who have normal left ventricular function and remodeling (LVFR) and no AH (ObNI) with those who have impaired LVFR or AH (ObI), and corresponding individuals without obesity (NObNI and NObI).

A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 4 435 participants from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS). Participants were grouped into four categories: (1) ObNI (n = 586), (2) ObI (n = 224), (3) NObNI (n = 3 041), and (4) NObI (n = 584). Descriptive analyses compared individuals with obesity with normal LVFR and no AH (ObNI) to the other three groups.

Although no significant differences between the two subgroups with obesity could be seen regarding BMI (33.1 vs. 33.5 kg/m², p = 0.095), there was significant differences in coronary artery calcification score (CACS) levels, where ObNI participants were more prone to show no or very low CACS in comparison with ObI participants (p < 0.001). Also compared to ObI participants, ObNI individuals had lower levels of HbA_1c, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and troponin I (all p < 0.001). Furthermore, significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding sedentary behavior (p = 0.041), where ObNI subjects showed a more active lifestyle.

Compared with ObNI, individuals with ObI exhibited a higher left ventricular mass index (LVMI; p < 0.001) and lower diastolic function parameters (p < 0.001), while left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) did not differ significantly (p = 0.27). Relative to NObNI, ObNI participants demonstrated increased LVMI (p = 0.007), lower EF (p < 0.001), and impaired diastolic function (p < 0.001). Coronary artery calcification scores (CACS) were higher in ObI than in ObNI (p < 0.001), and ObNI also showed higher CACS than NObNI (p = 0.008).

ObNI participants had lower CACS levels, more favorable metabolic profiles, better cardiac function, and greater physical activity than ObI individuals. However, compared to NObNI, they showed higher CACS, increased left ventricular mass, and reduced cardiac function, highlighting distinct cardiovascular risks across obesity phenotypes.