Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume is related to subclinical atherosclerosis and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in asymptomatic subjects

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is an emerging cardiovascular risk marker. It has been suggested to be an inflammatory mediator with a role in subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic relevance in hard clinical outcomes remains thoroughly unexplored in the literature. Purpose Evaluate the prognostic relevance of EAT, regarding the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in an asymptomatic population. Methods 895 asymptomatic volunteers were prospectively enrolled in a single Portuguese center (mean age 51.9±7.7, 78.5% male) and underwent a median follow-up time of 3.7 years (IQR 5.0). EAT volume was measured by Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) using a modified simplified method. Participants were distributed into two groups, above and below the EAT-volume median. We compared both groups regarding the occurrence of MACE through univariate analysis, Kaplan-Meier Survival curves and log-rank test. Association to subclinical atherosclerosis was addressed using correlation between EAT volume and calcium score (Agatson). Results There is a strong correlation between EAT volume and calcium score (r=0.205, p<0.0001), sustaining that it may play an important role in mediating coronary artery disease and subclinical atherosclerosis. Patients with higher EAT volume, were exposed to higher occurrence of MACE on follow-up [70.4% (19 of 27) vs 49.4% (429 of 868), p=0.032] with a clearer separation of the curves after 5.7 years. Conclusion In an asymptomatic population, EAT volume seems to be related to subclinical atherosclerosis and to the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular events on long-term follow-up. Our study addresses some unanswered questions, such as the prognostic relevance of EAT as an emerging cardiovascular risk marker. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.