Visceral Adiposity in Premenopausal Lupus Patients: Correlation with Systemic Inflammation

Luciana Seguro¹, Valéria Caparbo², Eloisa Bonfá¹ and Rosa M R Pereira³, ¹Rheumatology Division, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, ²Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, ³Rheumatology, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Meeting: 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 29, 2015

Keywords: adipose tissue, cardiovascular disease and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

Session Information

Date: Monday, November 9, 2015

Session Title: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - Clinical Aspects and Treatment Poster Session II

Session Type: ACR Poster Session B

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose:

SLE is associated with high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and obesity, which can be related to the high risk of cardiovascular events in this group of patients. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) correlates more accurately with cardiovascular risk factors than other measures of adiposity. The aim of this study was to evaluate VAT in premenopausal SLE patients compared to controls.

Methods:

The study included 63 premenopausal SLE patients and 186 age-matched healthy women. Demographic, anthropometric, disease and treatment parameters were evaluated. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) parameters were measured by Hologic dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner equipped with APEX 4.0 software.

Results:

SLE patients had mean disease duration of 5.25 ± 3.8 years, mean SLEDAI activity score of 4.35 ± 5.13, mean SLICC damage index of 0.70 ± 0.80, mean current prednisone dose of 11.60 ± 12.10 mg/day and cumulative glucocorticoid dose of 5.27 ± 5.57 g. SLE patients and controls had similar age (31.14 ± 6.87 vs. 30.68 ± 7.70 years, p=0.673), weight (66.87 ± 13.60 vs. 64.84 ± 14.22 kg, p=0.324), height (1.60 ± 0.06 vs. 1.61 ± 0.06 m, p=0.290) and body mass index (25.98 ± 5.05 vs. 24.91 ± 4.94 kg/m², p=0.145). SLE patients and controls had similar fat mass (23.31 ± 8.79 vs. 21.92 ± 8.64 kg, p=0.273), fat percentage (33.84 ± 6.45 vs. 33.05 ± 5.98 %, p=0.376) and fat mass/height² (9.09 ± 3.4 vs. 8.65 ± 3.83 kg/m², p=1.413). SLE patients had higher values of VAT parameters than controls, namely VAT mass (362.16 ± 196.12 vs. 303.36 ± 187.19 g, p=0.034), VAT volume (391.55 ± 212.07 vs. 329.14 ± 203.57, p=0.038) and VAT area (75.12 ± 40.69 vs. 63.16 ±39.09, p=0.039). SLE patients had higher trunk/legs fat percentage ratio (0.84 ± 0.22 vs. 0.76 ± 0.19, p=0.003) and trunk/limb fat mass ratio (0.84 ± 0.22 vs. 0.76 ± 0.19, p=0.008) than controls. In SLE patients, VAT area correlated with CRP levels (R=0.30, p=0.018) but not with age (p=0.079), disease duration (0.912), SLEDAI disease activity score (p=0.068), SLICC damage index (p=0.054), cumulative glucocorticoid dose (p=0.141) or hydroxychloroquine use (p=0.851).

Conclusion:

This study provides original evidence that SLE is associated with altered adiposity distribution and increased visceral adipose tissue. The observed correlation with CRP levels, independent of disease activity, suggests the role of visceral fat as an additional risk factor for cardiovascular events in SLE patients. Longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm the long-term effect of VAT in cardiovascular events in SLE.

Disclosure: L. Seguro, None; V. Caparbo, None; E. Bonfá, None, 2; R. M. R. Pereira, None, 2.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Seguro L, Caparbo V, Bonfá E, Pereira RMR. Visceral Adiposity in Premenopausal Lupus Patients: Correlation with Systemic Inflammation [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/visceral-adiposity-in-premenopausal-lupus-patients-correlation-with-systemic-inflammation/. Accessed February 26, 2021.

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