Biomedical subjects

S Kirchengast

Publications and source records attributed to S Kirchengast.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Obesity among female adolescents in Vienna, Austria--the impact of childhood weight status and ethnicity.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to analyse prevalence of overweight and obesity among migrant girls in Vienna, Austria, starting at the age of 6 years up to the age of 15 years. DESIGN: In a longitudinal study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among migrant girls from Turkey and former Yugoslavia was documented and compared with that among Austrian girls in Vienna. SETTING: Medical investigation of medical school authority in Viennese schools. SAMPLE: Seven hundred and ninety girls of low socio-economic status were included in the study. METHODS: Anthropometric data were collected at the age of 6, 10 and 15 years. Body mass was estimated by means of the body mass index (BMI), and percentile curves were used for determining the weight status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Stature, body weight, BMI, weight status. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher among migrant girls at all age groups. The highest percentage of overweight was found among 10-year-old girls from Yugoslavia (nearly 35%) and the lowest percentage of overweight was exhibited in 6-year-old Austrian girls (20%). Being overweight or obese at the age of 6 years increased the risk of being overweight at 10 and 15 years significantly (P < 0.001). Among migrants, this risk was significantly higher than among Austrian girls (P < 0.001). Only 64.8% of Austrian girls, who were overweight/obese at the age of 6 years, were still classified as overweight at the age of 15 years. Among migrant girls, who were overweight at the age of 6 years, 72.0% (Turkish girls) and 78.3% (Yugoslavian girls) remained overweight until the age of 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: Especially girls from former Yugoslavia but also Turkish girls exhibited high rates of overweight and obesity. Prevention should start as early as possible since overweight tends to persist from childhood into adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in male adolescents in Austria between 1985 and 2000. A population based study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the prevalence of overweight and obesity in young Austrian men, to describe a possible time trend during the observation period 1985-2000 and to define regional differences within the country. DESIGN: Epidemiological population based investigation (conscript health investigation) comparing aggregated data of four cross-sectional studies. SUBJECTS: Four cohorts of 18 year-old males (1985: n = 50,475, 1990: n = 47,463, 1995: n 39,275, 2000: n = 43,503), in total n = 180,716. METHODS: Measurements of height and weight were performed during the nationwide conscript health investigation. BMI was calculated and overweight was defined as BMI > or = 25.00 kg/m2 and obesity as BMI > or = 30.00 kg/m2. Besides height and weight data, information on place of residence of the young men was used for the study. Chi-squared and Student's t-test were calculated to test group differences with respect to their statistical significance. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight increased from 10.9% to 15.5% and of obesity from 1.8% to 4.9% during the observation period. A significant regional trend was found with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Eastern part of Austria (p < 0.001). BMI was 22.12 +/- 0.34 kg/m2 (mean +/- SD) in 1985 and showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) during the study period to 22.71 +/- 0.25 kg/m2. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity increased remarkably in young males in Austria between the years 1985 and 2000. The steepest increase was found in the prevalence of obesity and in the Western part of Austria. A significant regional difference could be documented during the whole study period.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The impact of the weight status on subjective symptomatology of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a cross-cultural comparison between Brazilian and Austrian women.

Group differences in symptomatology and symptom perception of young women ageing between 18 and 32 years suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) were tested according to cultural background and weight status. In detail 31 Austrian women, living in Carinthia, Austria, and 102 Brazilian women, living in São Paulo, Brazil, were enrolled in the present study. All participants suffered from diagnosed PCOS. The prevalence of hirsutism, infertility, menstrual disturbances and overweight/obesity and their individual impact on health related quality of life were analysed. Furthermore the impact of weight status (BMI) on symptom perception was tested. It turned out, that the Brazilian sample exhibited higher prevalence of PCOS symptoms and these symptoms had a more negative impact on quality of life. The only exception was body weight. Although significantly leaner, the Austrian women showed a higher Cronin score of body weight than their Brazilian counterparts. The results of the present study may indicate that in western industrialized societies the fear of overweight is much more prevalent than in a developing country such as Brazil and thus it has more influence on the quality of life than all the other symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Use of the oral contraceptive pill by Austrian adolescents with emphasis on the age of onset, side effects, compliance and lifestyle.

The present study investigated the use of the oral contraceptive pill in 880 Austrian high school girls. All participants filled in a questionnaire on lifestyle and menarche. Furthermore, subjects on the pill were asked about their preparation, age at first use, reasons why they take it, side effects and oral contraceptive compliance. All 139 subjects on the pill used low dose monophasic preparations. The girls started the pill at a mean age of 16.0 +/- 0.9 years for contraceptive and therapeutic reasons. The most commonly noted side effects were weight gain, an increase in breast size, fatigue and depression. The results also indicate that most users comply sufficiently. Regarding lifestyle, it can be stated that there is a correlation between the use of the pill and smoking, the frequency of consuming alcoholic drinks and being physically active.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Changes in fat distribution (WHR) and body weight across the menstrual cycle.

The aim of the present study was to analyze changes of the body weight and waist-to-hip ratio during menstrual cycle, with special respect to changes around ovulation. 32 healthy young women ranging in age between 19 and 30 years (X = 23.5) were enrolled in the study. Beside a basal anthropometric investigation (stature, weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, fat percentage, waist to hip ratio) the probands were instructed to take body weight, waist and hip circumference and basal body temperature every morning by themselves over a whole cycle. Three proband groups according to cycle length (average, short and long) were defined and eight hormonal contraceptive users served as controls. It turned out that body weight increased only slightly during the second cycle half in all proband groups. A marked decrease of WHR around the time of ovulation was found in the proband group who exhibited average cycle length and a successful ovulation could be assumed. Evolutionary and physiological explanations are discussed.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2001

Body composition characteristics are associated with the bone density of the proximal femur end in middle- and old-aged women and men.

OBJECTIVES: In the present study the associations between bone density of the proximal femur end and weight status, fat distribution patterns (FDI) and body composition parameters i.e. amount of body fat and lean body mass were tested in a sample of old aged women and men. METHODS: In 77 healthy women ranging in age from 60 to 92 years (x=71.8 years) and 62 healthy men ranging in age from 60 to 86 years (x=71.5 years) the bone mineral density (BMD of the proximal femur end and the body composition parameters absolute fat mass, relative fat mass, lean body mass and bone mineral content were estimated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Additionally, the weight status (body mass index, BMI) and the FDI were calculated. The bone density of the proximal femur end was correlated with the absolute fat mass and the lean body mass as well as with the BMI and the FDI. RESULTS: BMD correlated in females significantly positively with parameters of body composition, in males no significant correlations between fat mass (absolute and relative) and BMD as well as BMD/stature was found. Furthermore, it was shown that the weight status (BMI; r(2)=0.13, P<0.0003 in males and r(2)=0.27, P<0.000 in females), and the lean body mass (r(2)=0.21, P<0.001 in males, r(2)=0.36, P<0.004 in females) were associated significantly positively with the BMD of the proximal femur end in both sexes. The absolute fat mass had a significant impact on BMD in the female subsample only (r(2)=0.24, P<0.000). CONCLUSIONS: A lower weight status and a low amount of lean body mass, indicating not only lack of biomechanical forces of the proximal femur end, but also a lack of physical activity can be assumed to be associated increased bone loss and the development of osteoporosis in both sexes. An association between low amount of fat tissue and decreased BMD was especially found in women and may be due to the reduced conversion rates from androgens to estrogens in a low amount of fat tissue.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2001

[Significance of body weight status for bone density in the elderly and very old].

Reduced bone density and osteoporosis are significant health problems and contributors to disability and mortality among older women and men. Therefore the decline of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) are aspects of ageing with great medical and social significance. In recent years a low body weight was declared to be an important risk factor for the development of osteoporosis. In the present study the impact of weight status, defined by the categories of the WHO, on BMC of the whole body and BMD of the proximal femur end, determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), were studied in 77 female and 62 male probands aged between 60 and 92 years (x = 71.7 yrs). With increasing weight status (BMI categories), BMC and BMD increased significantly (p < 0.001). This was true of both sexes. Even moderate overweight women and men (BMI 25.0-29.99) showed a significantly higher bone density than their normal weight counterparts (BMI < 25.0). In the present study a marked positive impact of body weight on bone density of old-aged women and men could be shown.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Body composition characteristics and body fat distribution in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Body composition, fat distribution and bone mineral density were examined in lean women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and compared with body composition and fat distribution characteristics of weight-matched lean controls. Ten women with PCOS and a body mass index (BMI) below 25.00 (kg/m(2)) and 10 healthy women with a BMI below 25.00 (kg/m(2)) matched for age and weight and BMI as controls were enrolled in this study. Body composition and bone density were measured by dual-energy- x-ray-absorptiometry and fat distribution patterns were calculated. Although matched for age, weight and BMI, lean PCOS patients showed a significantly higher amount of body fat and lower amount of lean body mass than the controls. The majority of PCOS patients showed an intermediate or android kind of fat distribution. Only 30% of the lean PCOS patients corresponded to the definition of gynoid fat distribution while this was true of all lean controls.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2001

Sexual dimorphism in body composition, weight status and growth in prepubertal school chiildren from rural areas of eastern Austria.

Sexual dimorphism in stature, weight status and body composition were analyzed in a sample of 398 prepubertal children (213 girls, 185 boys) ageing between 7 and 10. Furthermore the prevalence of overweight was tested. Body composition parameters were determined using TBF 105 Body composition analyzer according to BIA-method. Highly significant sex differences in body composition were observed (p < 0.001). In contrast, stature, weight and BMI showed no significant differences between the two sexes. Nevertheless, a significant higher portion (p < 0.05) of girls (29%) corresponded to the definition overweight according to ASNS (Austrian Survey of Nutritional Status), while only 20% of the boys felt into the category overweight. The results of the present study showed not only significant sex differences in body composition, especially in fat mass, long before puberty onset, but also a significantly higher prevalence of overweight among prepubertal girls in comparison to prepubertal boys.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2001

The polycystic ovary syndrome--a medical condition but also an important psychosocial problem.

PCOS, the leading cause of anovulatory infertility that affects up to one fifth of the female population, is a complex chronic disease of genetic as well as environmental determination, but still unclear etiology. Besides of infertility, PCOS leads to menstrual dysfunctions, hirsutism and obesity--symptoms that are known to cause profound psychosocial distress. The present paper review the problematic of etiology and symptom expression of PCOS, which is not only a disease needing medical treatment but also a psychosocial problem for the affected women. PCOS may not only coinduced by psychosocial factors, the main symptoms of PCOS such as infertility, menstrual dysfunctions, hirsutism and obesity cause by themselves increased psychosocial stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2000

Impact of maternal anthropometry and smoking on neonatal birth weight.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and maternal smoking habits on neonatal birth weight. We reviewed 10,240 normal singleton term pregnancies between 1985 and 1995 at the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vienna. Birth weights of infants of overweight smokers were greater than those of smokers in general and similar to birth weights of nonsmokers, but smoking did have a fetal growth-retarding effect in overweight smoking mothers. Infants of underweight mothers who increased their daily cigarette consumption during pregnancy had significantly lowest birth weight. Our results suggest that the negative effects of smoking during pregnancy cannot be mitigated by a higher pre-pregnancy BMI and/or an improved weight gain during pregnancy. Especially the infants of underweight mothers benefit from their mothers' decision to cease smoking.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Hysterectomy is associated with postmenopausal body composition characteristics.

The impact of hysterectomy without oophorectomy and with no malignant purpose on body composition and postmenopausal weight gain was tested in 184 Viennese females aged between 47 and 57 years (mean 52.9). Hysterectomized women were significantly heavier than those who experienced a spontaneous menopause (controls). The amount of fat tissue, especially in the abdominal region, was significantly higher in hysterectomized women. Furthermore, they were reported to have experienced a significantly higher weight gain since menopause (9.1 versus 6.0 kg). No significant differences in bone mass were found. Psychological stress factors and hormonal changes following hysterectomy are discussed as possible causes of these differences.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed2000

Differential reproductive success and body size in !Kung San people from northern Namibia.

The associations patterns between reproductive success, measured by the total number of offspring, number of living offspring and number of dead offspring, and parental body size, estimated by stature, body weight and Body mass index, were tested in 65 female and 103 male members of a !Kung San population ageing between 25 and 40 years (x = 30.2 yr.) from northern Namibia. In both sexes a significant interaction between fertility patterns and body dimensions was found. Nevertheless, the association patterns differed markedly between the two sexes. While in males tallness and an improved weight status was associated significantly with a higher number of surviving offspring, smaller and lighter females had significantly more surviving children. In males a directional selection towards increased stature and better weight status is in accordance with the well known secular trend of acceleration. In females first of all the postpartum changes in body composition and body weight, resulting from exhausting infant feeding practices seem to support the maternal depletion hypothesis.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Postmenopausal weight status, body composition and body fat distribution in relation to parameters of menstrual and reproductive history.

OBJECTIVES: In the present study the association between menstrual and reproductive history patterns and weight status, fat distribution and body composition during postmenopause was tested. METHODS: In 106 healthy postmenopausal women ranging in age from 48 to 58 years (x = 53.7 year) the weight status was classified according to the recommendations of the WHO. Additionally body composition was estimated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and fat distribution was calculated using the fat distribution index. Weight status, body composition and fat distribution were correlated with self-reported parameters of menstrual and reproductive history (age at menarche, average cycle length, number of births, age at first and last birth, average pregnancy weight gain, age at menopause). RESULTS: It was shown that number of births, age at first birth and pregnancy weight gain were related significantly to the postmenopausal weight status, body composition and fat distribution. CONCLUSION: An early first birth a low number of births and a high weight gain during pregnancies can be assumed as risk factors for overweight, a higher amount of adipose tissue, android fat patterning and therefore for the development of the metabolic syndrome during postmenopause. In contrast no adverse effect of menstrual and reproductive parameters on postmenopausal bone mass was found.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1999

Body composition characteristics, sex hormone levels and circadian gonadotropin fluctuations in infertile young women.

The present study dealt with the interaction between body composition estimated by means of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, sex-specific fat distribution and sex hormone levels (LH, FSH, estradiol, prolactin, DHEA-S, androstendione, testosterone and SHBG) as well as LH and FSH fluctuations in infertile young women ageing between 18 and 30 years (x = 23.4 yr). Twenty patients suffered from polycystic ovaries (PCO), 15 women suffering from a mild anorexia nervosa were amenorrhoeic for more than one year. Marked associations between estradiol, testosterone, SHBG as well as the FSH output and body fat, bone mass and fat distribution were documented. PCO patients exhibited a high weight status and a typical android fat distribution which signals infertility comparable to postmenopausal women. In contrast, although anorexia patients had pathological decreased estrogen levels and were infertile at the time of investigation, their fat distribution was be classified as 'ypergynoid' and signals potential reproductive capability after a sufficient weight gain.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Effect of percutaneous androgen replacement therapy on body composition and body weight in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to assess the effect of topical androgen replacement therapy on body weight, body composition and fat distribution in postmenopausal women. METHODS: 39 healthy postmenopausal women (51.4 +/- 2.24 years), with increasing body weight, were prospectively studied for 6 months. Body composition (fat mass, kg, %) was measured by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Hormonal and lipid parameters were also measured. Subjects were divided into two groups. An androgen gel (group A) or placebo gel (group P) was topically administered to the abdominal and gluteo-femoral regions. DXA was performed before commencement of topical treatment and after 6 months. RESULTS: A highly significant total body weight reduction was found in group A (68.0 +/- 13.1 to 65.4 +/- 11.8 kg). Abdominal fat (37.3 +/- 11.2 to 35.1 +/- 9.7%), gluteo-femoral fat (46.3 +/- 6.6 to 45.4 +/- 7.7%), total body fat (38.2 +/- 7.9 to 36.1 +/- 8.6%) and BMI (24.8 +/- 4.3 to 23.7 +/- 3.8) were also found to have decreased significantly in this group. No significant reduction in body weight (kg) and body fat (%) could be measured in the placebo group. No influence on lipid parameters was found although total testosterone increased significantly in group A (0.29 +/- 0.24 to 0.72 +/- 0.17 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Topically applied androgen is capable of reducing abdominal fat accumulations as well as total body weight in postmenopausal women with unexplained weight gain. In contrast to systemic androgen application, topical administration has no effect on the lipid profile. Gluteal fat, however, is less effectively influenced by androgens.

Body Composition↗

PubMed1998

Impact of the age at menarche on adult body composition in healthy pre- and postmenopausal women.

The present study focuses on the impact of age at menarche on body composition development during adulthood. With 459 healthy middle-class women between 18 and 67 years (x = 41.5) the association between age at menarche and body composition was tested. Body composition, described by absolute and relative amount of fat mass, lean body mass, and bone mass, was estimated by means of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. In order to exclude the influence of the menopausal transition on body composition, pre- and postmenopausal females were examined separately. The absolute amount of body fat was significantly lower within the group of women whose menarche occurred later. However, postmenopausal females exhibit less significant relations between the two trait systems than premenopausal women. This may be due to the impact of menopausal transition which affected the hormone levels and body composition development independently from the adolescent hormonal transition. While in both proband groups the quantitative amount of body fat was significantly related to menarcheal age, a significant relation between menarcheal age and adult body fat distribution could not be verified.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Low levels of serum inhibin A and inhibin B in women with hypergonadotropic amenorrhea and evidence of high levels of activin A in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To examine serum levels of inhibin A, inhibin B, and activin A in women with secondary hypergonadotropic or hypothalamic amenorrhea. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Universities of Udine, Pisa, and Modena in Italy, and of Wien in Austria. PATIENT(S): Forty women with idiopathic premature ovarian failure (POF), 23 women with hypogonadotropic hypothalamic amenorrhea, 40 healthy postmenopausal women, and 40 age-matched women with normal ovarian function (controls). INTERVENTION(S): Blood samples were collected between 8 and 9 AM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Serum levels of inhibin A, inhibin B, and activin A. RESULT(S): Women with POF had lower concentrations of serum inhibin A and inhibin B than women with hypothalamic amenorrhea and fertile controls, and the difference between these concentrations was statistically significant. Levels of inhibin A and inhibin B were low in postmenopausal women and were no different than in women with POF. Serum levels of activin A were not significantly different among women with POF, fertile controls, and postmenopausal women. Women with hypogonadotropic hypothalamic amenorrhea had higher activin A values than did controls. No significant correlation was found between the level of inhibin A or inhibin B and the length of amenorrhea or the level of FSH. CONCLUSION(S): Low levels of circulating inhibins A and B, but not activin A, reflect ovarian failure in women with POF, whereas women with hypogonadotropic hypothalamic amenorrhea have normal levels of inhibins A and B and high levels of activin A.

Activins↗