title: Central Obesity and Liver Iron Content: A Noninvasive Assessment in General Population by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
abstract: Existing evidence points to an altered status of iron metabolism in obesity. We aimed to investigate whether central obesity is independently associated with estimated liver iron content (liver T2* value) in general population that used the noninvasive assessment method by MRI.
  
  
  
  The study was carried out on 200 subjects randomly selected from the Golestan Cohort Study who underwent abdominal MRI. Quantitative T2* maps of entire cross-sectional area of liver were calculated using a semi-automated software for estimating the levels of iron content. Segmentation and calculation of visceral (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were also performed.
  
  
  
  There was no significant difference in mean liver T2* values between obese (body mass index, BMI >30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI ≤30 kg/m2) subjects. After controlling for other covariates, no statistically significant association was detected between liver T2* values and VFA, SFA and VFA/SFA ratio. The drop in the relative signal intensity as an indicator of steatosis and serum ferritin predicted liver T2* values that almost had the same strength (standardized β of -0.41 and -0.41, respectively).
  
  
  
  Central obesity indices are not correlated with estimated liver iron content by MRI. Hepatic steatosis and serum ferritin seem to be the best predictors of hepatic T2* value. Since central obesity indices were not direct predictors of hepatic T2* value after the adjustment for confounding factors, it is possible that lipid accumulation in the liver locally, but not systematically, influences hepatic iron metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Radmard
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Poustchi
authors.forename: Amir Pejman
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hashemi Taheri
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gerami Seresht
authors.forename: Payam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohammadinejad
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoonessi
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dadgostar
authors.forename: Mohammad Sadegh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rahmanian
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.forename: Atefeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeinoddini
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malekzadeh
authors.forename: Shahin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merat
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron