The relationship between epicardial fat tissue thickness and frequent ventricular premature beats.
BACKGROUND
Ventricular premature beats (VPBs) are one of the most common rhythm abnormalities. Structural heart diseases such as myocardial hypertrophy and left ventricular dysfunction are associated with VPBs. However, the exact mechanism of VPBs in patients without structural heart disease has not been revealed yet. Epicardial fat tissue (EFT) is a visceral fat around the heart. Increased EFT thickness is associated with myocardial structural and ultrastructural myocardial abnormalities, which may play a role in the development of VPBs.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the possible relationship between EFT thickness and frequent VPBs.


RESULTS
The study population consisted of 50 patients with VPBs and 50 control subjects. Frequent VPBs were defined as the presence of more than 10 beats per hour assessed by 24-h Holter electrocardiography monitoring. EFT thickness was measured by transthoracic echocardiography. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors related with frequent VPBs. Baseline demographic and biochemical features including age, gender, and rates of hypertension and diabetes mellitus were similar in both groups. EFT thickness was significantly higher in patients with frequent VPBs than in controls (3.3 ± 1.3 mm vs. 2.2 ± 0.8 mm, p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, EFT thickness was independently associated with VPB frequency (B = 1.030, OR = 2.802, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with frequent VPBs had increased EFT thickness compared to control subjects. EFT thickness was independently associated with frequent VPBs.
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. akiris79@yahoo.com.
Abdulkadir
A
Kırış
Oğuzhan Ekrem
OE
Turan
Gülhanım
G
Kırış
Abdulselam
A
İlter
Mustafa
M
Öztürk
Mesut
M
Aydın
Şahin
Ş
Kaplan
Merih
M
Kutlu
Ömer
Ö
Gedikli
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018879:Ventricular Premature Complexes / Q000209:etiology*