Department of Radiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Population Health Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki and Oulu, Finland.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 14;12(1):9905. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13936-1.
Preterm birth at very low birth weight (VLBW, < 1500 g) is associated with an accumulation of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors from childhood at least to middle age. Small-scale studies suggest that this could partly be explained by increased visceral or ectopic fat. We performed magnetic resonance imaging on 78 adults born preterm at VLBW in Finland between 1978 and 1990 and 72 term same-sex siblings as controls, with a mean age of 29 years. We collected T1-weighted images from the abdomen, and magnetic resonance spectra from the liver, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, and tibia. The adipose tissue volumes of VLBW adults did not differ from their term siblings when adjusting for age, sex, and maternal and perinatal factors. The mean differences were as follows: subcutaneous - 0.48% (95% CI - 14.8%, 16.3%), visceral 7.96% (95% CI - 10.4%, 30.1%), and total abdominal fat quantity 1.05% (95% CI - 13.7%, 18.4%). Hepatic triglyceride content was also similar. VLBW individuals displayed less unsaturation in subcutaneous adipose tissue (- 4.74%, 95% CI - 9.2%, - 0.1%) but not in tibial bone marrow (1.68%, 95% CI - 1.86%, 5.35%). VLBW adults displayed similar adipose tissue volumes and hepatic triglyceride content as their term siblings. Previously reported differences could thus partly be due to genetic or environmental characteristics shared between siblings. The VLBW group displayed less unsaturation in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, suggesting differences in its metabolic activity and energy storage.
极早早产（VLBW，<1500 克）与儿童期至少中年期心血管和代谢危险因素的积累有关。小规模研究表明，这在一定程度上可以解释为内脏或异位脂肪增加。我们对 1978 年至 1990 年期间在芬兰出生的 78 名极早早产 VLBW 成人和 72 名足月同性兄弟姐妹进行了磁共振成像，平均年龄为 29 岁。我们从腹部采集 T1 加权图像，并从肝脏、皮下腹部脂肪组织和胫骨采集磁共振谱。调整年龄、性别以及母婴围产期因素后，VLBW 成人的脂肪组织体积与足月同胞无差异。平均差异如下：皮下脂肪 -4.8%（95%CI-14.8%，16.3%），内脏脂肪 7.96%（95%CI-10.4%，30.1%），以及腹部总脂肪量 1.05%（95%CI-13.7%，18.4%）。肝甘油三酯含量也相似。VLBW 个体的皮下脂肪组织不饱和程度较低（-4.74%，95%CI-9.2%，-0.1%），但胫骨骨髓无差异（1.68%，95%CI-1.86%，5.35%）。VLBW 成人的脂肪组织体积和肝甘油三酯含量与足月同胞相似。因此，之前报道的差异可能部分归因于兄弟姐妹之间共享的遗传或环境特征。VLBW 组的皮下腹部脂肪组织不饱和程度较低，表明其代谢活性和能量储存存在差异。
