Independent association of thigh muscle fat density with vascular events in Korean adults

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-28-2024

Publication Title

Cardiovascular Diabetology

Abstract

Background: We aimed to explore the associations between thigh muscle fat density and vascular events. Methods: A total of 3,595 adults (mean age, 57.2 years; women, 1,715 [47.7%]) without baseline cardiovascular events from the Korean Atherosclerosis Study-2 were included. Muscle and fat area at the mid-thigh level were measured by computed tomography (CT) using the following Hounsfield Unit range: 0-30 for low density muscle (LDM); 31-100 for normal density muscle (NDM); and - 250 to - 50 for fat. Results: During a median follow-up period of 11.8 (4.3-13.9) years, vascular events occurred in 11.6% of men and 5.9% of women. Individuals with vascular events had a larger LDM area (men: 48.8 ± 15.5 cm2 vs. 44.6 ± 14.5 cm2; women: 39.4 ± 13.2 cm2 vs. 35.0 ± 11.8 cm2, both P < 0.001) compared with those who did not have vascular events during the follow-up of at least 5 years. The LDM/NDM ratio was also independently associated with vascular events after adjusting for cardiometabolic risk factors. Moreover, the LDM/NDM ratio improved the prognostic value for vascular events when added to conventional risk factors. Conclusions: The current study suggests that a higher thigh muscle fat infiltration is associated with an increased risk of developing vascular events among Korean adults.

First Page

1

Last Page

12

DOI

10.1186/s12933-024-02138-w

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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