title: Correlation between epicardial fat and cigarette smoking: CT imaging in patients with metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between cigarette smoking and epicardial fat in a cohort of patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) at risk for coronary artery disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied, in primary prevention, 54 subjects diagnosed with MetS. According to their smoking habits, the subjects were divided into two groups: smokers and non-smokers. Besides anthropometric characterization and screening laboratory tests, the subjects had a multidetector computerized tomography scan, which allowed epicardial fat quantification and calcium score (CS) evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with non-smokers, smokers showed older age (61.6 ± 1.8 vs 56.8 ± 1.2 yrs; p < 0.05). Also, the smokers displayed increased epicardial fat volume (138 [123; 150] vs 101[79; 130] ml; p < 0.01) as well as higher CS (94 [3; 301.5] vs 0 [0;10.2]; p < 0.001), in comparison with non-smokers. Notably, CS was positively correlated with smoking habit (rs 0.469; p < 0.01), epicardial fat (rs 0.377; p < 0.01), age (rs 0.502; p < 0.001) and uric acid (rs 0.498; p < 0.01). Accordingly, the associations between both CS or epicardial fat and cigarette smoking were still maintained after adjustment for age (r 0.317; p < 0.05; r 0.427; p < 0.01). Finally, multiple regression analysis showed that smoke was the variable that best predicted CS (R(2) 0.131; β 0.362; p < 0.05) and epicardial fat (R(2) 0.177; β 0.453; p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that, in subjects with MetS, cigarette smoking is an independent predictor of increased epicardial fat volume and higher CS.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department , AUSL UMBRIA1 Assisi (Perugia), Assisi (Perugia) , Italy.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murdolo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Renzi
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pirro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borgognoni
authors.forename: Giovanni Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Vincentelli
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D010496:Pericardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: calcium score; epicardial adipose tissue; smoke; visceral adipose tissue