The impact of abdominal adiposity measured by sonography on the pulmonary function of pre-menopausal females

Abstract

BackgroundThe Body Mass Index (BMI) is a widely used parameter to study obesity; however it does not assess the distribution of body adiposity. Ultrasonography is a reliable method of measuring subcutaneous (SAT), visceral (VAT) and Total adipose tissue of the abdomen (TAT) to determine the influence of abdominal fat on pulmonary function by directly measuring abdominal adipose tissue.MethodsEighty pre-menopausal, non-smoker, sedentary females with no history of pulmonary disease were subdivided into three groups: 25 normal-weight, 28 overweight, 27 obese. Absolute and predictive spirometric values were obtained: FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, IC, ERV.ResultsA positive correlation between increased %IC and decreased %ERV was observed with increased BMI (p < 0.02; 0.001 respectively); %FVC, %FEV1 and %ERV decreased significantly as SAT (p = 0.01, p = 0.02; p < 0.001) and TAT (p = 0.01, p = 0.03, p < 0.001) increased, whereas VAT was negatively correlated only with %ERV (p < 0.001). Increments of 5 mm in TAT, VAT and SAT were followed by a reduction of 0.83 %, 0.81 %, 1.90 % in %FVC, respectively, as well as a reduction of 4.25 %, 4.31 % and 9.44 % in %ERV, respectively.ConclusionsSubcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue deposition in obese females has a greater negative influence on pulmonary function than visceral adipose tissue deposition.

Overweight, Obesity, and Lung Function in Children and Adults—A Meta-analysis

“…In 30 studies included (n=16,913), percent-predicted FVC decreased by 2.2% [95% CI= −3.7 to −0.6%] among overweight/obese subjects compared to those of normal weight 15–18, 23–29, 32–34, 36, 37, 39, 40, 45, 46, 48, 50, 52–59 . The decrement was significant in adults (−4.6% [95% CI= −6.9 to −2.2%]) but not in children (Figure 3); and more pronounced among obese subjects (−3.2% [95% CI= −5.2 to −1.2%] than in overweight subjects (Supplemental Figure E3).…”

“…For all 34 studies combined (n=28,494), FEV 1 /FVC was 1.5% [95% CI= −1.9 to −1.2%] lower among overweight/obese subjects 12, 15–18, 23–29, 31, 34, 35, 38, 40, 45, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61–63, 66–71 (Table 1). The decrement was more pronounced in children (−2.4%, [95% CI= −3.0 to −1.8%]) than in adults (−1.0% [95% CI= −1.4 to −0.6%]) (Figure 4); and it was similar in subjects with (−1.5% [95% CI= −1.9 to −1.0%]) and without asthma (−1.6% [95% CI= −2.3 to −0.8%]) (Table 1).…”

The effect of obesity on lung function

“…When ERV decreases, while vital capacity (VC) remains normal, inspiratory capacity (IC) will be increased [32]. Rasslan and coworkers showed that inspiratory capacity was higher in obese individuals than in non-obese individuals [33], though other investigators found no significant differences [29, 34].…”

Visceral and subcutaneous abdominal adiposity and pulmonary function in 30-year-old adults: a cross-sectional analysis nested in a birth cohort

“…SAT showed an inverse association with PF in previous publications [ 3 , 8 , 11 ]. In our study, we observed positive associations between SAT and PF after adjustment and this result must be interpreted carefully due to the lack of plausibility that SAT increment can be beneficial to PF.…”

“…As a more accessible device, abdominal ultrasound has demonstrated precise results on adipose tissue measures, presenting a good correlation with CT measures ( r = 0.68–0.74) [ 5 , 7 ]. To our knowledge, ultrasound was used in only two previous studies on this issue, in specific women samples [ 8 , 9 ].…”