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Implication of Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition Parameters for Length of Hospital Stay in Patients with

Wenmin Guan1, Tingting Zhang1,2, Jing Sun1

  • 1Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, 95 Yong-an Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, China.

Current Medical Imaging
|January 23, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Musculoskeletal features from chest CT scans, like visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area, are linked to longer COVID-19 hospital stays. Older age and higher paraspinal muscle fat also correlate with extended stays.

Area of Science:

  • Radiology
  • Medical Imaging
  • COVID-19 Research

Background:

  • Chest CT scans can reveal multisystem information, including musculoskeletal details, in COVID-19 patients.
  • This information can be obtained without additional patient examinations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between baseline bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition parameters extracted from chest CT scans.
  • To determine the relationship between these parameters and the length of hospital stay in COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 88 COVID-19 patients.
  • Correlation analysis and generalized linear modeling (GLM) were employed.
  • Covariates included age, sex, BMI, BMD, and body composition variables.

Main Results:

  • Mean hospital stay was 27.4±8.7 days.
  • Hospital stay length positively correlated with age and paraspinal muscle fat ratio.
  • GLM indicated a positive correlation between hospital stay length and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area.

Conclusions:

  • Musculoskeletal features from chest CT correlate with COVID-19 patient prognosis.
  • Older age, higher paraspinal muscle fat ratio, and larger VAT area are associated with longer hospitalizations.
Abstract

Keywords:
Body compositionBone densityCOVID-19CT scan.Subcutaneous fatVisceral fat

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