Vnitr Lek 1990, 36(1):52-58

[Somatometric characteristics of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathies].

Z Smahel, P Gregor: Ustav experimentální medicíny CSAV, Praha.

The authors evaluated anthropometric data from 43 men and 17 women aged 20-45 years suffering hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The affected individuals had a higher body weight associated with larger circumferences of trunk and arms, but smaller circumferences of the lower extremities. The deviations could be due to a lower physical activity of the patients and consistent with this, they were recorded only in the subgroup of patients with subjective complaints. Contrary to these findings, after classification of the patients according to the extent of myocardial hypertrophy, higher body weight was found only in patients with mild affection. The difference could be suggestive of a higher mortality of patients with a more severe affection, accompanied simultaneously by overweight or obesity. Of the dimensions of head and face was enlarged only the head circumference in men. The authors recommend to follow-up the height-weight proportionality of patients.