LIFESTYLE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH NONFUNCTIONAL ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMAS

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Nonfunctional adrenal incidentalomas (NFAI) are adrenal tumors discovered incidentally.
• Factors influencing NFAI development, particularly lifestyle and body composition, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the impact of lifestyle factors and body fat mass on the occurrence of NFAI.
• To explore correlations between anthropometric measurements, body composition, and adrenal mass characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 100 patients with NFAI and 50 controls.
• Assessment of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), smoking status, and anthropometric measurements.
• Bioelectrical impedance analysis for body fat mass, fat percentage, total body water, and fat-free mass.

Main Results:

• Patients with NFAI exhibited higher BMI, waist, hip, neck circumference, body fat percentage, fat mass, and smoking rates compared to controls.
• Subgroup analysis confirmed higher waist circumference and total fat mass in NFAI patients, even with similar age and BMI.
• Adrenal mass size positively correlated with waist, neck circumference, BMI, and post-dexamethasone cortisol levels.

Conclusions:

• Increased body fat mass may contribute to the development of NFAI.
• Despite being classified as nonfunctional, adrenal incidentalomas show decreased cortisol suppressibility with increasing mass size.