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Associations between visceral adipose and renal artery calcification: Results from the multi-ethnic study of
Harsimran Bajwa1, Michael Criqui1, Ron Blankstein2
1UCSD School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
Insights
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area is linked to the severity of renal artery calcification (RAC), but not its presence. This study explores the relationship between VAT and RAC, offering new insights into atherosclerosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Radiology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is linked to atherosclerosis.
- Renal artery calcification (RAC), a consequence of atherosclerosis, is associated with increased mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and renal artery calcification (RAC).
- To determine if VAT area and density correlate with the presence and severity of RAC.
Main Methods:
- CT imaging was used to measure VAT and RAC in 1,978 participants.
- Regression models assessed the prevalence and severity of RAC in relation to VAT measurements.
Main Results:
- VAT area was not significantly associated with the presence of RAC.
- Greater VAT area was significantly associated with increased RAC severity in participants with existing RAC.
- VAT density showed no significant association with either RAC presence or severity.
Conclusions:
- VAT area is significantly associated with RAC severity, but not its presence.
- This study is the first to describe the relationship between VAT and RAC, contrasting with prior findings on VAT and coronary artery calcification.
Background:
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been associated with higher levels of atherosclerosis. Renal artery calcification (RAC) secondary to atherosclerosis has been found to be associated with an increase in all-cause mortality.
Methods:
1 978 participants underwent CT imaging to measure VAT and RAC. Rate ratio regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for the presence of RAC, while linear regression was used to estimate linear coefficients for the severity of RAC.
Results:
1 196 participants had complete VAT and RAC measurements. In adjusted models, VAT area was not associated with RAC presence (PR 1.02, 95 % CI 0.89, 1.16, p = 0.80), while greater VAT density was inversely, but not significantly, associated with RAC presence (PR 0.89, 95 % CI 0.78, 1.02, p = 0.10). Among 354 participants with RAC > 0, VAT area was significantly associated with RAC severity (slope 63.32, 95 % CI 11.84, 114.81, p = 0.02), while VAT density was not associated (slope 9.78, 95 % CI -40.87, 60.44, p = 0.71).
Conclusions:
VAT area and density are not significantly associated with RAC presence, while greater VAT area is significantly associated with RAC severity among those with RAC > 0. Our results are the first describing the relationship between VAT and RAC, and are in contrast to previous literature demonstrating a significant association between VAT and coronary artery calcification.
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