Pericardial adipose tissue, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease risk factors: the Jackson heart study.
OBJECTIVE
Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT), a regional fat depot that surrounds the heart, is associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic risk factor profile. The associations among PAT, cardiometabolic risk factors, and coronary artery calcification (CAC) and abdominal aortic artery calcification (AAC) in African American populations have not been explored.


METHODS
A total of 1,414 African Americans (35% men; mean +/- SD age 58 +/- 11 years) drawn from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) underwent multidetector computed tomography assessment of abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and PAT between 2007 and 2009. Cardiometabolic risk factors, CAC, and AAC were examined in relation to increments of PAT and VAT.


RESULTS
PAT was significantly correlated with BMI, waist circumference, and VAT (r = 0.35, 0.46, and 0.69; all P < 0.0001). PAT (per 1-SD increase) was associated with elevated levels of systolic blood pressure (P < 0.04), fasting glucose, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein and lower levels of HDL (all P values<0.0001). PAT was also associated with metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR] 1.89; P < 0.0001), hypertension (1.48; P < 0.0006), and diabetes (1.40; P < 0.04); all associations were diminished after further adjustment for VAT (most P > 0.05). However, the association of PAT with CAC but not with AAC remained significant (OR 1.34 [95% CI 1.10-1.64]; P < 0.004) after multivariable and VAT adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
PAT is significantly correlated with most cardiometabolic risk factors and CAC in the JHS cohort. The results suggest that PAT is an important VAT depot that may exert a local effect on the coronary vasculature.
Liu
Jiankang
J
1Jackson Heart Study, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson State University, Jackson,Mississippi, USA. jliu@medicine.umsmed.edu
Fox
Caroline S
CS
Hickson
Demarc
D
Sarpong
Daniel
D
Ekunwe
Lynette
L
May
Warren D
WD
Hundley
Gregory W
GW
Carr
J Jeffery
JJ
Taylor
Herman A
HA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055105:Waist Circumference