Summary of The Hidden Danger of Muscle Fat:
A new study published in Radiology shows that asymptomatic adults with a high accumulation of fat in their muscles, known as myosteatosis, are at an increased risk of major adverse events and death. Myosteatosis is often overlooked in medical evaluations, but the study highlights the importance of recognizing it as a significant health risk factor. The study used AI technology to extract body composition metrics from abdominal CT scans of asymptomatic adults undergoing routine colorectal cancer screening between 2004 and 2016. The risk was independent of age or obesity markers like BMI and was comparable to risks from smoking or type 2 diabetes.
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Asymptomatic Adults with Myosteatosis are at Increased Risk of Major Adverse Events and Death
A new study published in Radiology reveals that asymptomatic adults with a high accumulation of fat in their muscles, a condition known as myosteatosis, are at an increased risk of major adverse events and death. The findings highlight the importance of recognizing myosteatosis as a significant health risk factor, even though it’s often overlooked in medical evaluations.
Myosteatosis Increases Risk of Major Health Issues and Mortality
Myosteatosis, or high muscle fat accumulation, in asymptomatic adults significantly increases the risk of significant health issues and mortality, according to a study in Radiology. The trouble was independent of age or obesity markers like BMI and was comparable to risks from smoking or type 2 diabetes.
Little Known About Health Risks in Asymptomatic Patients
Since myosteatosis is usually found in patients who are already sick and undergoing medical imaging for another illness, little is known about its health risks in asymptomatic patients. “To date, medical imaging with CT or MRI remains the gold standard to evaluate myosteatosis,” said study co-author Maxime Nachit, M.D., Ph.D., a post-doctoral researcher at the Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique at UCLouvain in Brussels, Belgium.
Higher Mortality Risk Compared with Other Fat Accumulations
Of the 8,982 adults included in the study, 507 died during the follow-up period. Myosteatosis was associated with an increased risk of major adverse events and was found in 55% of the study participants who died. The absolute mortality risk at 10 years in individuals with myosteatosis was 15.5% compared to obesity (7.6%), liver steatosis (8.5%), or myopia (9.7%). Despite other health factors, such as visceral fat and liver steatosis, myosteatosis remained the highest.
Myosteatosis Overlooked as a Health Risk Factor in Medical Evaluations
Despite the growing evidence of the risk factors that are associated with myosteatosis, it is a condition that is still overlooked in the medical community. Future studies could help determine whether myosteatosis is solely a biomarker of poorer health status or whether it is causally associated with an increased risk of death, according to Dr. Nachit.
Medical Imaging with CT or MRI is the Gold Standard in Evaluate Myosteatosis
“To date, medical imaging with CT or MRI remains the gold standard to evaluate myosteatosis,” said Dr. Nachit. “Here, we show that myosteatosis – a parameter retrievable from medical images performed routinely in hospitals – is a robust indicator of an individual’s mortality risk at a relatively short term.”
As a result of the study, physicians need to recognize myosteatosis as a risk factor for significant health issues and mortality. Medical imaging with CT or MRI can identify myosteatosis and determine the appropriate medical management at the individual level based on a constellation of information such as genetics, medical history, physical characteristics, complex and large-scale molecular evaluation, etc.
