title: Contribution of subcutaneous abdominal fat on ultrasonography to carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whereas visceral abdominal adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with cardiometabolic risk, there is debate regarding the role of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAT). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 234 patients (men 131, women 103, mean age: 53 years) with T2DM were enrolled. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) and visceral fat thickness (VFT) were assessed by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography (US).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to women, men had significantly higher VFT and lower SFT (p = 0.002, p = 0.04, respectively). In partial correlation coefficient analyses between CIMT and abdominal fat thickness after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), SFT showed a negative correlation with CIMT in men (r = -0.27, p = 0.03). VFT was not correlated with CIMT in either men or women. In women, SFT was not correlated with CIMT (r = -0.01, p = 0.93). VFT/SFT ratio was not correlated with CIMT in either men or women. In multivariate regression analyses adjusted for BMI and other CVD risk factors, SFT but not VFT was independently inversely associated with CIMT in men but not in women (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SFT assessed by US was inversely associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM, particularly men. Further research into the different roles of the two types of abdominal adipose tissue in both men and women is warranted.
authors.forename: Chan-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Bo-Yeon
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyu-Jin
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Chul-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, #170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 420-767, South Korea. hanna@schmc.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ji-Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Mok
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography