Abstract
BackgroundAs body fat composition and metabolism differ between men and women, we evaluated sex-related differences in the association among epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), secretome profile, and myocardial function of subjects with suspected metabolic syndrome.MethodsWe evaluated 277 participants (men, n = 140; 56.1 ± 4.7 years) who underwent conventional echocardiography and two-dimensional speckle tracking from the Seoul Metabolic Syndrome cohort. EAT was measured from the right ventricular free wall perpendicular to the aortic annulus at end systole. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) was obtained from 18 apical segments. Apolipoprotein A1, apolipoprotein B, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were measured using immunoturbidimetry assay.ResultsMean age, body mass index, and hs-CRP level did not differ by sex. Waist circumference, fasting blood glucose level, and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were higher, and apolipoprotein AI and adiponectin levels were lower in men. No significant difference in mean EAT thickness was found (7.02 ± 1.81 vs. 7.13 ± 1.70 mm, p = 0.613). Men had a higher left ventricular (LV) mass index and lower GLS. EAT thickness was associated with hs-CRP level in men alone (ß = 0.206, p = 0.015). LV mass index (ß = 2.311, p = 0.037) and function represented by e′ (ß = − 0.279, p = 0.001) and GLS (ß = − 0.332, p < 0.001) were independently associated with EAT thickness in men alone.ConclusionsIn middle-aged subjects with suspected metabolic syndrome, EAT was associated with inflammation represented by hs-CRP level, LV mass, and subclinical myocardial dysfunction only in men, suggesting that the inflammatory activity of EAT induced myocardial remodeling and dysfunction in middle-aged subjects but was attenuated in women.Trial registration NCT02077530 (date of registration: November 1, 2013)
Highlights
Middle-aged men are known to be at higher risk than women for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) [1, 2]
Mean age and body mass index (BMI) did not differ between the men and women; waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were greater in the men than in the women
Metabolic laboratory parameters represented by Fasting blood glucose (FBG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), TG, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), apolipoprotein AI, and adiponectin levels were more impaired in the men than in the women
Summary
Middle-aged men are known to be at higher risk than women for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) [1, 2]. Previous studies report that higher metabolic risk factors in men and the protective effect of estrogen in premenopausal women may contribute to the sex-related differences in the middle-aged population [1, 3, 4]. Women have more body fat than men with a similar body mass index (BMI) [5]. Body fat composition and metabolism differ between men and women [6,7,8]. As body fat composition and metabolism differ between men and women, we evaluated sex-related differences in the association among epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), secretome profile, and myocardial function of subjects with suspected metabolic syndrome
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