title: Epicardial Fat in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Properties and Relationships With Metabolic Factors, Cardiac Structure, and Cardiac Function.
abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and might be an important cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related CV disease. In an NAFLD population, we investigated EAT thickness and its possible relations to NAFLD and cardiac structure and function. This was an observational study of 57 patients with NAFLD and 48 age-matched controls. Patients with NAFLD had significantly higher body mass index (P < .0001), waist circumference (P < .0001), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P = .005), whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .01) and adiponectin (P = .005) levels were significantly lower. The EAT was not thicker in NAFLD but was positively related to indices of impaired glucose tolerance and inflammation, with diabetes being an independent predictor of EAT thickness (b* = 0.29, P = .04). No relations were found between EAT and cardiac structure and function. In conclusion, this study confirms a pathologic phenotype of NAFLD. Epicardial fat was not significantly related to NAFLD per se, but diabetes, glucose metabolism, and inflammation were closely related to its thickness.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece lillypsychari@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stavroula N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Psychari
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Department, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nectaria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rekleiti
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varhalama
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drakoulis
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Nikea General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Apostolou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Cardiology, Attikon University Hospital, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Efstathios K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Iliodromitis
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: NAFLD; epicardial fat; fatty liver; metabolic syndrome