Bioimpedance analysis in determining body composition in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a pilot study

Objective: to determine body composition (BC) in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), by using bioimpedance analysis.

Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 12 women with a reliable diagnosis of SLE, who were followed up at the Clinic of the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology. Their median age was 46.5 [38.5; 54.7] years. All the patients underwent estimation of waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI). BC was analyzed using an InBody 770 multi-frequency bioimpedance analyzer (Biospace Co. Ltd, South Korea) at the Clinical Nutrition Clinic, Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Biotechnology.

Results and discussion. BMI corresponding to overweight or obesity was observed in 67% of patients; abdominal obesity (AO) was seen in 83%. BC study showed that in most patients, adipose tissue mass was greater than the normal values (75%), lean body mass, skeletal muscle mass, and the amount of body water were within normal limits (83%), and the basal metabolic rate was reduced (67%). There were positive correlations between the percentage of adipose tissue and BMI (r=0.9; p<0.01), WC (r=0.7; p<0.01), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (r=0.6; p<0.05), and complement C3 concentrations (r=0.9; p<0.01). Similar results were obtained when assessing the relationship between visceral fat area and BMI (r=0.9; p<0.01), WC (r=0.78; p<0.01), CRP (r=0.6; p<0.05), complement component C3 (r=0.8; p<0.01). There was an inverse correlation between visceral fat area and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) (r=-0.6; p<0.05).

Conclusion. Most women with SLE have AO, increased adipose tissue mass, normal lean body mass, and decreased basal metabolism. There is a direct correlation of visceral fat content and inflammatory markers (CRP, complement component C3) and an inverse correlation of those with the SLEDAI-2K. 

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