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Abstract

Own sources Source of support:Heart rate variability (HRV) provides valuable information in various clinical settings. Limited information exists on changes in cardiac autonomic modulation in extremely obese patients (BMI>40). The aim of this study was to investigate the infl uence of extreme (morbid) obesity and concomitant diseases on cardiovascular autonomic function. Participants of this study are 40 women and 40 men with a mean age of 47.9 diagnosed with morbid obesity (mean BMI 47.49) and hospitalized to further bariatric treatment. In 42 patients diagnosed with hypertension (treated with beta blockers and ACE inhibitors along with well controlled blood pressure), type 2 diabetes (treatment with oral drugs) also occurred. Furthermore, 46 patients were diagnosed with depression. None of the participants used antidepressants or sedative agents. A total of 80 healthy people (40 women and 40 men) with a mean age of 42.7 and with a mean BMI of 24.6 formed the control group. All patients had 24-hour ECG monitoring using the Holter method in order to evaluate the autonomic activity with time and frequency domain analysis (heart rate variability -HRV).