Ectopic adiposity and cardiometabolic health in COPD

Rationale: Obesity/overweight is the most prevalent body composition abnormality in COPD. However, little is known about the impact of fat distribution on cardiometabolic health in COPD. Objective: To study the associations between ectopic adiposity, cardiometabolic health, and COPD. Methods: A total of 263 subjects (166 males; age=65[+ or -]9 years) were randomly selected from the general population. Subjects were classified as non-COPD controls and COPD, according to the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification, and the presence of cardiometabolic comorbidities was recorded. Ectopic fat accumulation was documented from computed tomography measurements of visceral adipose tissue cross-sectional areas and muscle mean attenuation, assessed at L4-L5. Blood glucose, lipid, and adipokine profiles were also evaluated. Results: After correcting for age, sex, and tobacco exposure, visceral adipose tissue crosssectional area was higher in GOLD 2+ compared to GOLD 1 individuals. Consistent with this, mean muscle tissue attenuation was lower in GOLD 2+ vs GOLD 1 and non-COPD controls (P