title: [Epicardial adipose tissue and its association to plasma adrenomedullin levels in patients with metabolic syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EAT) and plasma adrenomedullin plasma levels in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients (12 females and 9 males) with MS according to the International Diabetes Federation guidelines, aged 22-58 years, were enrolled into the study and compared to 19 age-matched control subjects without MS. Plasma glucose, lipid, and adrenomedullin levels were assessed. EAT, left ventricular mass, and carotid intima-media thickness were evaluated by transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in age, sex, and height. Body weight, abdominal circumference (AC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly higher (p=0.0001) in MS patients; this group also showed significantly higher glucose (p=0.001), total cholesterol (p=0.01), LDL-C (p=0.03), VLDL-C (p=0.005), triglyceride (p=0.002), Tg/HDL ratio (p=0.0001), and plasma adrenomedullin (3.49±1.21 vs 1.69±0.92 ng/mL; p=0.0001) levels and lower HDL-C (p=0.02) levels as compared to the control group. EAT was significantly thicker in MS patients compared to the control group (8.45±3.14 vs 5.43±0.96; p=0.0001), showed a positive correlation to BMI (r=0.347; p=0.02), AC (r=0.350; p=0.02), DBP (r=0.346; p=0.02), and adrenomedullin levels (r=0.741; p=0.0001). In multiple linear regression analysis, adrenomedullin was the only parameter associated to EAT (R(2)=0.550; p=0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this small patient group, a statistically significant association was found between EAT and plasma adrenomedullin levels, which may be considered as a potential biomarker of MS.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Estudios Cardiovasculares y Neurociencias, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo Bolívar, Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Marcos M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lima-Martínez
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Mariela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paoli
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iacobellis
authors.forename: Marianela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodney
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romero-Vecchione
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luisa Saadtjian
authors.forename: Moisés
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zagala
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rodney
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D053607:Adrenomedullin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C507862:ADM protein, human; D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids; D053607:Adrenomedullin