Relationship of epicardial adipose tissue with coronary artery disease, cardiovascular risk factors and patient outcomes

Abstract

Introduction and objectivesThe epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a metabolically active fat depot that has shown to be implicated in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the prediction of cardiovascular events. However, these findings might be influenced by body size since previous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between the amount of epicardial fat and anthropometric measurements. Our objective was to assess the association between indexed-EAT (EAT-i) volume and the presence of CAD and cardiovascular events in a cohort of symptomatic patients. MethodsPatients referred for cardiac computed tomography from March 2010 to April 2017 were included. CAD was defined as the presence of obstructive coronary stenosis or a high amount of coronary calcium. EAT was assessed using a semiautomatic software and indexed to body surface area. A regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between relevant CAD and EAT-i, age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and comorbidities. The association between EAT-i and cardiovascular events was analyzed with Cox regression models. ResultsA total of 179 patients were recruited (56±12 years, 57.5% male). EAT-i (P=.003), age (P<.001) and male sex (P<.001) were significantly and independently associated with CAD. During follow-up (5.5 years, 2.4–6.4) patients with elevated EAT-i showed an increased risk of events (HR, 2.44; 95%CI, 1.07–5.56; P=.033). ConclusionsIn symptomatic patients, an increased volume of indexed epicardial fat was associated with obstructive CAD as well as with cardiovascular events.