Association of Muscle Fat Content and Muscle Mass With Impaired Lung Function in Young Adults With Obesity: Evaluation With MRI

Although low muscle mass is associated with decreased lung function, studies exploring the relationship between muscle fat content and lung function impairment are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the association of muscle mass and fatty infiltration with lung function in young adults with obesity. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients aged 18-45 years with obesity who had impaired pulmonary function (case group, n = 66) and those with normal pulmonary function (control group, n = 198) by matching age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and height to assess whether muscle characteristics differed. Muscle mass and muscle fat content were assessed by MRI using a chemical shift-encoded sequence (IDEAL-IQ). A total of 264 patients were enrolled (124 females; mean age 32.0 years). The case group had lower muscle mass than the control group (p = 0.012), and there was an association between low muscle mass and lung function impairment (odds ratio (OR), 3.74; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.57-8.93). Furthermore, muscle fat content was significantly higher in cases compared to controls (7.4 (2.7) % vs. 6.2 (2.5) %, p = 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that muscle fat content was associated with a higher risk of impaired lung function (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.65-2.66), regardless of adiposity and muscle mass. Both muscle fat content and muscle mass are associated with impaired lung function in young adults with obesity.