Abdominal fat and risk of coronary heart disease in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether the presence of concomitant coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be explained by intra-abdominal fat accumulation and compared different measures of adiposity as predictors of CHD in patients with PAD.


METHODS
Data were collected from patients enrolled in the Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease (SMART) study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of patients with manifest vascular disease or vascular risk factors at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. The current analysis includes 315 patients, mean age 59 +/- 10 years, who had PAD with (n = 79) or without (n = 236) CHD. Parameters of adiposity were measured, and intra-abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat were measured ultrasonographically. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III.


RESULTS
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher among patients with CHD (63%) than among patients without CHD (48%). All parameters of adiposity indicated more fat in patients with CHD, except for subcutaneous fat. Waist circumference was associated with 64% higher prevalence of CHD (confidence interval, 20% to 123%) per 1 standard deviation increase in waist circumference after adjustment for age and sex. The odds ratio for waist circumference remained virtually the same after additional adjustment for the components of the metabolic syndrome and smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
An increased waist circumference, a crude measure of intra-abdominal fat, is associated with an increased risk of concomitant CHD in patients with PAD.
Brouwer
Beate G
BG
University Medical Center Utrecht, Room strat. 6.131, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Visseren
Frank L J
FL
Stolk
Ronald P
RP
van der Graaf
Yolanda
Y
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors