Association of Waist Circumference with Pulmonary Function in Obesity

Obesity is a global health hazard and the prevalence of obesity is increasing. There is evidence that obesity, particularly abdominal obesity is negatively associated with pulmonary function. Obesity-related health risks are better explained by waist circumference (WC) than BMI as it provides information on fat distribution that cannot be obtained from BMI. We aimed to evaluate the association of WC with pulmonary function in adults with or without obesity. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry in 40 non-obese and obese adults between 20–60 years. Their height, weight and waist circumference were recorded. Student's t-test was done and Pearson's correlation was used to show a relationship between WC and the spirometric variables. Significant differences were observed in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV) and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) between the obese and non-obese groups. WC showed a significant negative association with FEV1, FVC, ERV and MVV. The mechanisms underlying this association need to be further explored.