Obesity increases risk of cranial nerve palsies: Study

Korea: Daye Diana Choi and colleagues discovered that both general and abdominal obesity increased the incidence of cranial nerve palsies (CNP) in a retrospective cohort analysis. Furthermore, a combination of general and abdominal obesity may raise the risk of CNP. The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between obesity and the development of third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerve palsies (CNP).

The findings of this study were published in the American Journal of ophthalmology on 17th September 2021.

Researchers looked at a group of 4,067,842 people between the ages of 20 and 90 who had health checks via the National Health Insurance Service between January 1 and December 31, 2009. The participants were tracked until the end of the year, on December 31, 2017. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CNP were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Age, gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, and physical activity were all accounted for in Model 3 (the primary analytic model). In the context of model 3, model 4 was also modified for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus.

During the follow-up period, a total of 5,835 people were diagnosed with CNP (7.3 years). Individuals with general obesity (BMI 25 kg/m2) had a higher risk of CNP than those who did not have general obesity. Abdominal obesity (waist circumference [WC] 90 cm in males and 85 cm in women) was similarly associated with an increase in HR when compared to those who did not have abdominal obesity. In comparison to the groups that did not have either kind of obesity, the groups that only had abdominal obesity, the group that just had general obesity, and the group that had both types of obesity all had higher CNP HRs.

In conclusion, the Korean population with increased BMI and waist size are risk factors for developing ocular motor cranial nerve palsies. This link should be investigated in other populations.

Reference:

Choi, D. D., Han, K., Park, K.-A., & Oh, S. Y. (2021). Association of obesity and incidence of third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerve palsies. In American Journal of Ophthalmology. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2021.09.007