Background: Obesity and health hazards associated with it are leading cause of death worldwide. The incidents of obesity are also rising at an alarming rate in the urban Indian population. Obesity is associated with adverse cardiovascular events which could be due to the altered autonomic balance seen in these individuals. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive economical tool to assess the autonomic function. Aims & Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of obesity on heart rate variability and to establish the relationship between BMI and HRV parameters. Materials and Methods: Forty six males in the age group of 40-55 years, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups as obese and non-obese based on their BMI as per WHO guidelines for Asian subjects. The ECG was recorded for a period of 10 minutes and frequency domain parameters of HRV were derived from it. Parameters obtained were compared between both the groups using independent 't' test and relationship between BMI and HRV parameters was established using Pearson's correlation test. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Obese individuals exhibited significantly lower values of both low and high frequency and normalized high frequency parameters. The ratio between low and high frequency and normalized low frequency parameters were significantly higher in obese group. A significant negative association was also observed between BMI and normalized high frequency parameter. Conclusion: A reduced parasympathetic activity associated with elevated sympathetic was observed in middle aged obese males in the resting state. This is suggestive of a higher risk for development of cardiovascular disorders.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in India. There is a need to identify various risk factors leading to the onset and progression of the disease. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is one of the emerging non-invasive techniques to identify severity and prognosis of CAD. HRV is defined as the oscillation in the interval between consecutive heartbeats as well as the oscillations between consecutive instantaneous heart rates. Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify the variations in HRV in patients with CAD. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 male patients aged 40-65 years with CAD and 30 age and sex matched healthy adults, satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Results: The results of our study showed a higher parasympathetic activity determined by high-frequency power (HF) in control subjects as compared to cases. Sympathetic predominance was seen in cases as determined by low-frequency power (LF). LF/HF ratio was also significantly higher in cases indicating sympathetic predominance. Conclusion: Sympathetic predominance with lowered parasympathetic activity observed in the cases puts them at a higher risk of adverse cardiac events. An attempt needs to be made to incorporate improvement of HRV as a modality of treatment of CAD.