Abstract
The association between obesity and cardiovascular disease is well-established and documented. It is particulary obesity with elevated waist circumference (abdominal obesity) which is a major risk factor of not only coronary atherosclerosis but, also, arterial hypertension, especially as a component of the metabolic syndrome.
The link between obesity and atherosclerosis is adipose tissue dysfunction resulting in mild chronic infl ammation, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction. A less well known, although well documented, is the association between obesity and heart failure and atrial fibrillation.