Premium
Epicardial Adipose Tissue Extent: Relationship With Age, Body Fat Distribution, and Coronaropathy
Author(s) -
Silaghi Alina,
PiercecchiMarti MarieDominique,
Grino Michel,
Leonetti Georges,
Alessi Marie C.,
Clement Karine,
Dadoun Frederic,
Dutour Anne
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1038/oby.2008.379
Subject(s) - medicine , waist , adipose tissue , circumference , cardiology , anthropometry , obesity , coronary artery disease , endocrinology , geometry , mathematics
Epicardial fat is a relatively neglected component of the heart and could be an important risk factor of cardiac disease. The objective of our study was to assess the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) extent, fat distribution, and coronaropathy in a group of adult victims of accidental or suspicious sudden death. In 56 cadavers, we performed 34 measurements of EAT from five computerized photographs of the heart (anterior and posterior faces, and three ventricle transversal slices) and analyzed their relationship with anthropometric markers of adiposity (BMI, waist and leg circumference, thickness of abdominal and thigh subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)), with the presence and staging of coronary artery disease (CAD), and with markers of myocardial hypertrophy. Simple linear regressions showed that EAT measurements are highly intercorrelated ( r from 0.4 to 0.6, P < 0.001), and correlate with age, waist circumference, and heart weight, and to a lesser extent, with BMI, abdominal SAT thickness, and leg SAT thickness. Multiple regression showed that age, waist circumference, and heart weight significantly and independently correlate with EAT ( P < 0.0001). No other anthropometric measurement was found independently correlated with EAT. The EAT/myocardium ratios correlated positively with age and waist circumference. Anterior and posterior areas of EAT were found significantly increased in patients with CAD and correlated positively with CAD staging ( P = 0.0034, r = 0.38). Anterior EAT surface was found positively associated with CAD ( P = 0.01), independently of age and other adiposity measurements. Prospective studies are needed to assess the risk of occurrence/progression of CAD that relate to EAT excess.