Relationship between Abdominal Fat Area Measured by Screening Abdominal Fat CT and Metabolic Syndrome in Asymptomatic Korean Individuals

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between abdominal fat as assessed by abdominal fat CT and metabolic syndrome (MS), especially in asymptomatic Korean individuals. Materials and Methods Retrospectively, a medical record analysis was performed in a total of 111 patients with screening abdominal fat CT. The data such as visceral fat (VF), subcutaneous fat (SF) and VF/SF were elicited by abdominal fat CT, and we analyzed the relationship of VF, SF, and VF/SF with MS and cardiovascular risk factors. Results In males, VF and SF had a positive correlation with many cardiovascular risk factors and MS, but VF was superior to SF. In females, VF, but not SF, had a positive correlation with some cardiovascular risk factors and MS. The cut-off values of VF and SF to predict MS, which were calculated by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves, were as follows: the cut-off value of VF in men: 136.50 cm2, the cut-off value of SF in men: 159.50 cm2, and the cut-off value of VF in women: 134.50 cm2. Conclusion In conclusion, VF accumulation was the best predictor of MS and it had a positive correlation with cardiovascular risk factors in both sexes. SF also had a significant association with MS, especially in men, although it was not superior to VF.

Keywords

• visceral fat
• subcutaneous fat
• multidetector computed tomography
• metabolic syndrome