Bayesian networks and imaging-derived phenotypes highlight the role of fat deposition in COVID-19 hospitalisation risk

Frontiers in Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics

D. J. Cuthbertson¹  A. I. L. Namburete²  T. Waddell³  P. Duckworth⁴  M. Brady⁵  H. Thomaides-Brears⁵  N. Eichert⁵  J. P. Despres⁶ 

[1] Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom;Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, United Kingdom;Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;Department of Engineering Science, The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;Perspectum Ltd., Oxford, United Kingdom;Oxford Robotics Institute, The University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;Perspectum Ltd., Oxford, United Kingdom;Scientific director of VITAM – Research Center for Sustainable Health, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada;

关键词: Bayesian networks;    probabilistic reasoning;    ectopic fat;    COVID-19;    hospitalisation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fbinf.2023.1163430

 received in 2023-02-10, accepted in 2023-05-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Objective: Obesity is a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes following coronavirus infection (COVID-19). However, BMI fails to capture differences in the body fat distribution, the critical driver of metabolic health. Conventional statistical methodologies lack functionality to investigate the causality between fat distribution and disease outcomes.Methods: We applied Bayesian network (BN) modelling to explore the mechanistic link between body fat deposition and hospitalisation risk in 459 participants with COVID-19 (395 non-hospitalised and 64 hospitalised). MRI-derived measures of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and liver fat were included. Conditional probability queries were performed to estimate the probability of hospitalisation after fixing the value of specific network variables.Results: The probability of hospitalisation was 18% higher in people living with obesity than those with normal weight, with elevated VAT being the primary determinant of obesity-related risk. Across all BMI categories, elevated VAT and liver fat (>10%) were associated with a 39% mean increase in the probability of hospitalisation. Among those with normal weight, reducing liver fat content from >10% to <5% reduced hospitalisation risk by 29%.Conclusion: Body fat distribution is a critical determinant of COVID-19 hospitalisation risk. BN modelling and probabilistic inferences assist our understanding of the mechanistic associations between imaging-derived phenotypes and COVID-19 hospitalisation risk.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Waddell, Namburete, Duckworth, Eichert, Thomaides-Brears, Cuthbertson, Despres and Brady.