Whole-Body MRI-Derived Adipose Tissue Characterization and Relationship to Pulmonary Function Impairment

Background: Specification of adipose tissues by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and related to pulmonary function parameters in a population-based cohort. Methods: 203 study participants underwent whole-body MRI and pulmonary function tests as part of the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region) MRI study. Both visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were derived from the T1-Dixon sequence, and hepatic adipose tissue from the proton density fat fraction (PDFF(hepatic)). Associations between adipose tissue parameters and spirometric indices such as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and Tiffeneau-index (FEV1/FVC) were examined using multivariate linear regression analysis excluding cofounding effects of other clinical parameters. Results: VAT (β = −0.13, p = 0.03) and SAT (β = −0.26, p < 0.001), but not PDFF(hepatic) were inversely associated with FEV1, while VAT (β = −0.27, p < 0.001), SAT (β = −0.41, p < 0.001), and PDFF(hepatic) (β = −0.17, p = 0.002) were inversely associated with FVC. PDFF(hepatic) was directly associated with the Tiffeneau index (β = 2.46, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In the adjusted linear regression model, VAT was inversely associated with all measured spirometric parameters, while PDFF(hepatic) revealed the strongest association with the Tiffeneau index. Non-invasive adipose tissue quantification measurements might serve as novel biomarkers for respiratory impairment.