Risk factors for small bowel angioectasia: The impact of visceral fat accumulation

To investigate visceral fat accumulation in association with the risk of small bowel angioectasia.

We retrospectively investigated 198 consecutive patients who underwent both capsule endoscopy and CT for investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) from January 2009 to September 2013. The visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area were measured by CT, and information on comorbidities, body mass index, and medications was obtained from their medical records. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate associations.

Capsule endoscopy revealed small bowel angioectasia in 18/198 (9.1%) patients with OGIB. Compared to patients without small bowel angioectasia, those with small bowel angioectasia had a significantly higher VFA (96 ± 76.0 cm(2) vs 63.4 ± 51.5 cm(2), P = 0.016) and a higher prevalence of liver cirrhosis (61% vs 22%, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with chronic renal failure was higher in patients with small bowel angioectasia (22% vs 9%, P = 0.11). There were no significant differences in subcutaneous fat area or waist circumference. The prevalence of small bowel angioectasia progressively increased according to the VFA. Multivariate analysis showed that the VFA [odd ratio (OR) for each 10-cm(2) increment = 1.1; [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.19; P = 0.021] and liver cirrhosis (OR = 6.1, 95%CI: 2.2-18.5; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for small bowel angioectasia.

VFA is positively associated with the prevalence of small bowel angioectasia, for which VFA and liver cirrhosis are independent risk factors in patients with OGIB.