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Visceral adiposity index as an indicator of cardiometabolic risk in patients treated for craniopharyngioma

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Abstract

Purpose

Craniopharyngioma is associated with metabolic alterations leading to increased cardiovascular mortality. Recently, the visceral adiposity index has been proposed as a marker of visceral adipose tissue dysfunction and of the related cardiometabolic risk. The role of the visceral adiposity index has never been explored in craniopharyngioma patients. We assessed the cardiometabolic risk on the basis of the visceral adiposity index in craniopharyngioma patients.

Methods

We evaluated data of 24 patients treated for craniopharyngioma in a single-centre. We investigated the relationship among patients’ clinical and biochemical features, cardiovascular risk -assessed by the Framingham and the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk scores-, visceral adiposity index and adipose tissue dysfunction severity.

Results

Increased visceral adiposity index was found in 8 patients (33%). Adipose tissue dysfunction resulted to be severe, moderate or mild in 5, 2 and 1 cases. Increased visceral adiposity index significantly correlated with the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (p 0.027), IRI (p 0.001), triglycerides (p < 0.001), HOMA-IR (p < 0.001) and with lower ISI-Matsuda (p 0.005) and HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.001). Higher degree of adipose tissue dysfunction associated with increased insulin resistance. No gender difference was found for visceral adiposity index, adipose tissue dysfunction severity, and cardiovascular risk scores. Patients with adulthood onset craniopharyngioma showed higher Framingham risk score (p 0.004), atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 10-year (p < 0.001) and lifetime (p 0.018) risk scores than those with childhood onset disease.

Conclusions

Visceral adiposity index is increased in one third of our patients with craniopharyngioma, even if metabolic syndrome does not occur. Increased visceral adiposity index and adipose tissue dysfunction severity correlate with insulin sensitivity parameters, do not correlate with Framingham or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk scores, and are not influenced by gender and age of disease onset.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

      Francesco Ferraù, Federica Spagnolo, Oana Ruxandra Cotta & Salvatore Cannavò

    2. Department of Human Pathology of Adulthood and Childhood, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

      Laura Cannavò & Tommaso Aversa

    3. Department of Economics, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

      Angela Alibrandi

    4. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

      Giuseppina Tiziana Russo

    5. Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

      Francesco Trimarchi

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    1. Francesco Ferraù
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    4. Laura Cannavò
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    Correspondence to Francesco Ferraù.

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    The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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    All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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    Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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    Francesco Ferrau and Federica Spagnolo are contributed equally to the study

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    Ferraù, F., Spagnolo, F., Cotta, O.R. et al. Visceral adiposity index as an indicator of cardiometabolic risk in patients treated for craniopharyngioma. Endocrine 58, 295–302 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-016-1196-y

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