Excess fat a modifiable risk factor for interstitial lung disease

Greater volumes of pericardial and abdominal visceral adipose tissue are linked to measures of early lung injury and lower forced vital capacity (FVC) in a cohort of community-dwelling adults, a study has found.

Researchers looked at a large multicentre cohort study of community-dwelling adults and examined the association of computed tomography measures of pericardial, abdominal visceral, and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue with high-attenuation areas (HAAs) and interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs). They also assessed the relationship of adipose depot size with FVC and biomarkers of obesity and inflammation.

In multivariable regression models, every doubling in pericardial adipose tissue volume contributed to a 63.4-unit increase in HAA (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 55.5–71.3), 20-percent greater odds of ILA (95 percent CI, –2 to 50), and a 5.5-percent reduction in percent predicted FVC (95 percent CI, –6.8 to –4.3). Interleukin (IL)-6 levels accounted for 8 percent of the association between pericardial adipose tissue and HAA.

Meanwhile, every doubling in visceral adipose tissue area correlated with a 41.5-unit increase in HAA (95 percent CI, 28.3–54.7), 30-percent greater odds of ILA (95 percent CI, –10 to 80), and a 5.4-percent reduction in percent predicted FVC (95 percent CI, –6.6 to –4.3). IL-6 and leptin accounted for 17 percent and 18 percent, respectively, of the association between visceral adipose tissue and HAA.

The findings suggest that adipose tissue may represent a modifiable risk factor for interstitial lung disease.