Peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue is related to cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery calcification in post-menopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is associated with vascular risk factors and coronary atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
In this study, 573 healthy post-menopausal women underwent a cardiac CT scan to assess coronary calcification. Peri-coronary EAT thickness was measured in the areas of right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD) artery, and left circumflex (LCX) coronary artery. Average EAT thickness was 16.5 +/- 4.3 mm (range 5.9-34.6) in the RCA area, 6.4 +/- 2.2 mm (range 2.0-14.0) in the LAD area, and 10.8 +/- 3.0 mm (range 2.8-29.1) in the LCX area. Overall average thickness was 11.2 +/- 2.2 mm (range 5.4-19.1). EAT was positively related to age (P = 0.002). In age-adjusted linear regression models, EAT was positively related to weight (P< 0.001), waist circumference (P< 0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (P< 0.001), body mass index (P< 0.001), glucose (P< 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.001), use of anti-hypertensive drugs (P = 0.007), and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.034), and inversely to HDL cholesterol (P = 0.005). In multivariable models, age, weight, waist circumference, smoking, and glucose were the main determinants of EAT. EAT showed a graded relation with coronary calcification (P = 0.026).


CONCLUSIONS
EAT is strongly related to vascular risk factors and coronary calcification. Our findings support the hypothesis that EAT affects coronary atherosclerosis and possibly coronary risk.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000473:pathology*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D008055:Lipids