title: Visceral adipose tissue is a better predictor of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis compared with waist circumference.
abstract: We investigated whether visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measured by ultrasonography is better than waist circumference (WC) in predicting the presence of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. We recruited 100 individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus. VAT volume was measured by ultrasonography and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) by B-mode ultrasonography. Both VAT and WC were positively associated with body mass index, triglycerides, uric acid, systolic/diastolic blood pressure and high sensitivity C-reactive protein and inversely correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, only VAT was associated with CCA-IMT (r = 0.309, p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that VAT, but not WC, was an independent predictor of carotid plaques after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (odds ratio [OR] = 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.003-1.031, p = 0.017), and this association persisted after additional adjustment for WC (OR = 1.024, 95% CI = 1.003-1.031, p = 0.027). Our data suggest that VAT volume measured by ultrasonography may be a better predictor of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis than waist circumference in healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: rallidis@ath.forthnet.gr.
authors.forename: Loukianos S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Rallidis
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Nikea, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Kyriaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baroutsi
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, General Hospital of Nikea, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zolindaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Nikea, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karagianni
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Varounis
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dagres
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lekakis
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anastasiou-Nana
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Intima-media thickness; Ultrasonography; Visceral adipose tissue; Waist circumference