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Association between hypertension and myosteatosis evaluated by abdominal computed tomography

Hypertension Research volume 46, pages 845–855 (2023)Cite this article

A Comment to this article was published on 30 March 2023

Abstract

Few studies have examined the relationship between myosteatosis and hypertension, and no studies have enrolled an Asian population. Existing studies also found discordant results, possibly due to the use of conventional myosteatosis indices that are not sufficiently reliable and representative. Therefore, we investigated the association between myosteatosis and hypertension in Asian individuals using novel, objective computed tomography (CT) markers. The total abdominal muscle area (TAMA) was determined from abdominal CT scans taken at the L3 level. Based on the mean CT attenuation, the TAMA was divided into intramuscular adipose tissue and skeletal muscle area (SMA), which was further segmented into normal attenuation muscle area (NAMA) and low attenuation muscle area (LAMA). Among SMA/body mass index (BMI), NAMA/BMI, LAMA/BMI, and the NAMA/TAMA index, NAMA/BMI was chosen through receiver operating characteristic curves as the best predictive marker for hypertension. The hypertension risk for each quartile of NAMA/BMI was calculated by logistic regression analysis. Among the 19,766 participants, 40.3% of men and 23.8% of women had hypertension. People with hypertension showed unhealthier myosteatosis profiles than normotensive controls. Similarly, a lower NAMA/BMI was significantly associated with a greater hypertension risk. The lowest quartile group of NAMA/BMI exhibited 2.3- and 2.6-fold higher risks of hypertension than the highest quartile in men and women, respectively. In conclusion, advanced myosteatosis assessed by abdominal CT was significantly correlated with a higher risk of hypertension. Improving myosteatosis may be a new approach for preventing cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension.

Advanced myosteatosis measured by abdominal CT taken at the L3 level was significantly correlated with a higher risk of hypertension even after adjusting for health behaviors, intake of lipid-lowering drugs, plasma lipid levels, and other ectopic fat distribution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the contributions of Wordvice (www.essayreview.co.kr) for the English language review.

Funding

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (grant numbers: NRF- 2020R1A2C1101977: Chang Hee Jung).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Han Na Jung, Yun Kyung Cho, Woo Je Lee & Chang Hee Jung

  2. Asan Diabetes Center, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Han Na Jung, Yun Kyung Cho, Woo Je Lee & Chang Hee Jung

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, University of Chung-ang College of Medicine, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Hwi Seung Kim

  4. Health Screening and Promotion Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Eun Hee Kim, Min Jung Lee & Hong-Kyu Kim

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Jung, H.N., Cho, Y.K., Kim, H.S. et al. Association between hypertension and myosteatosis evaluated by abdominal computed tomography. Hypertens Res 46, 845–855 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-022-01157-y

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