Abdominal CT Biomarkers of Muscle, Fat, and Bone: Chronic Conditions and Higher Mortality

Dr. Jennifer St. Sauver, an Epidemiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reviews her team’s article appearing in the June 2024 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, where they found use of abdominal CT provided an opportunity to repurpose the images to allow estimation of tissue age, which can help inform clinical care and research. Using a general population sample, Dr. Andrew Rule and Dr. St. Sauver found that some people in their study had tissue ages that were older than their chronologic age would suggest. These people had an increased risk of mortality. Dr. St. Sauver notes their results indicate that CT body composition-derived estimations of tissue age may allow for an improved understanding of the biologic processes underlying rapid aging. Available at: mayocl.in/3JAp2C7