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. 2024 May 29:129.
doi: 10.48101/ujms.v129.10465. eCollection 2024.

Central obesity and fat-free mass are associated with a larger spleen volume in the general population

Mohammed Farah Mahmoud Mousa  1 , Muhammad Naeem  1   2 , Saima Bibi  1 , Robin Bülow  3 , Martin Bahls  4   5 , Ulrike Siewert-Markus  6 , Philipp Töpfer  7 , Ali Aghdassi  8 , Muhammad Nasir Khan Khattak  1 , Henry Völzke  1 , Marcello Rp Markus  4   5 , Till Ittermann  1
Affiliations

Central obesity and fat-free mass are associated with a larger spleen volume in the general population

Mohammed Farah Mahmoud Mousa et al. Ups J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background and aim: As the spleen plays a significant role in immunity, the aim was to investigate the associations of different body composition markers derived from various sources with spleen volume in a general population sample.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional data of 1095 individuals (570 women; 52%) aged between 30 and 90 years were collected in the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-START-2). We measured spleen volume by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Body composition markers were derived from classic anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, including absolute fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM), as well as from MRI, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and liver fat content. Sex-stratified-adjusted linear regression models were used to analyze the associations of body composition markers with spleen volumes.

Results: We observed positive associations of body mass index, body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-height ratio, absolute FM, absolute FFM, and VAT and SAT with spleen volume in men and women. An 8.12 kg higher absolute FFM was associated with a 38.4 mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.7-50.1) higher spleen volume in men and a 5.21 kg higher absolute FFM with a 42.6 mL (95% CI: 26.2-59.0) higher spleen volume in women.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that obesity-related body composition markers and FFM are associated with a higher spleen volume. Particularly, higher absolute FFM showed a strong association with a larger spleen volume in both men and women. Further studies are warranted to understand the clinical significance of body composition markers on large spleen volume.

Keywords: Body characteristics; Fat-free mass; MRI; central obesity; spleen volume.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations of waist circumferences with spleen volume.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Associations of body mass indexes with spleen volume.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Associations of absolute FFM with spleen volume.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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