Obesity and Risk of LVH and ECG Abnormalities in US Firefighters

Objective: To evaluate the association between obesity and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis examining the association between body mass index and ECG abnormalities among Massachusetts' firefighters. Results: Overall, 276 firefighters had undergone ECG testing at baseline (1996/97) and follow-up (2000). The incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was 15 per 1000 person-years of follow-up. After adjusting for age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, obese firefighters were about two times more likely to develop ECG-LVH (OR = 2.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 6.6) and were 1.5 times more likely to develop ECG abnormalities (OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 0.6 to 3.9) at follow-up. Conclusions: Obese firefighters appear to have a higher risk of LVH and ECG abnormalities than normal-weight individuals. Our findings need further evaluation and may have important implications for occupational health policies and periodic medical evaluations.