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Murine Echocardiography of Left Atrium, Aorta, and Pulmonary Artery
Published on: February 20, 2017
Smaller organ mass with greater age, except for heart
Qing He1, Stanley Heshka, Jeanine Albu
1New York Obesity Research Center, New York, NY 10025, USA.
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|March 28, 2009
Summary
Organ size changes with age, with brain, kidneys, liver, and spleen decreasing in mass. However, left ventricular mass (heart muscle) increases in older adults, independent of race and sex.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Radiology
- Human Anatomy
Background:
- Autopsy studies suggest organ size decreases with age, but in vivo data are limited.
- Understanding age-related organ mass changes is crucial for health assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in the mass of high-metabolic-rate organs using in vivo MRI.
- To determine if organ mass changes are influenced by sex and race.
Main Methods:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to measure brain, heart, kidney, liver, and spleen mass in 111 healthy adults (19-88 years).
- Left ventricular mass (LVM) was assessed via echocardiography or cardiac MRI.
- Total body fat and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
- Multiple regression analysis adjusted for weight, height, FFM, race, and sex.
Main Results:
- Significant negative associations between age and mass were observed for the brain, kidneys, liver, and spleen.
- A significant positive association was found between age and LVM after adjusting for FFM.
- No significant interactions were found between age, sex, and race.
Conclusions:
- Age significantly impacts the mass of the brain, kidneys, liver, spleen, and heart.
- These age-related organ mass changes are independent of sex and race.
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