Visceral Adiposity and High Intramuscular Fat Deposition Independently Predict Critical Illness in Patients with SARS‐CoV‐2

• Published in: Obesity 2020-11, Vol.28 (11), p.2040-2048
• Main Authors: Yang, Yang, Ding, Lin, Zou, Xianlun, Shen, Yaqi, Hu, Daoyu, Hu, Xuemei, Li, Zhen, Kamel, Ihab R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adiposity - physiology; Aged; Betacoronavirus - pathogenicity; Coronavirus Infections - complications; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID‐19 and Obesity; Critical Illness; Female; Humans; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Obesity, Abdominal - complications; Original; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - complications; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Subcutaneous Fat - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.22971

Objective This study aimed to assess the association between adipose tissue distribution and severity of clinical course in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Methods For this retrospective study, 143 hospitalized patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) who underwent an unenhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan between January 1, 2020, and March 30, 2020, were included. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors associated with the severity of COVID‐19 infection. Results There were 45 patients who were identified as critically ill. High visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (called visceral adiposity) (odds ratio: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.05‐5.98, P = 0.040) and low mean attenuation of skeletal muscle (called high intramuscular fat [IMF] deposition) (odds ratio: 11.90; 95% CI: 4.50‐36.14; P