title: Coronary heart disease risk factors, coronary artery calcification and epicardial fat volume in the Young Finns Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated associations of pre-clinical coronary heart disease (CHD), adolescence and adulthood CHD risk factors, and epicardial fat volume (EFV), which is thought to influence CHD pathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EFV and coronary calcium scores were quantified using computed tomography imaging for 557 subjects from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study in 2007. CHD risk marker levels were assessed repeatedly from 1980 to 2007. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), carotid distensibility, and brachial flow-mediated dilatation were measured by vascular ultrasound in 2007. Increased EFV was cross-sectionally associated with male sex, increased waist circumference, body-mass index (BMI), cIMT, metabolic syndrome prevalence, levels of apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, insulin, and fasting glucose, as well as ever smoking, alcoholic intake, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), carotid distensibility and physical activity in adulthood. In BMI-adjusted analyses, only apolipoprotein B, ever smoking, alcohol intake and metabolic syndrome prevalence were independently associated with EFV. In adolescence, skinfold thickness, BMI, and insulin levels were higher and HDL-C lower with increasing EFV. Subjects in the lowest vs. highest quarter of EFV had consistently lower BMI across the early life-course.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Associations of CHD risk markers with EFV were attenuated after multivariable adjustment. We found no evidence of increased EFV being independently associated with pre-clinical atherosclerosis. EFV was most strongly associated with BMI and waist circumference. Subjects with higher EFV had consistently higher BMI from age 12 suggesting that life-long exposure to higher BMI influences the development of EFV.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland olli.hartiala@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hartiala
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia.
authors.forename: Costan G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Magnussen
authors.affiliation: Turku PET Center, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.affiliation: Turku PET Center, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kajander
authors.affiliation: Turku PET Center, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Juhani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knuuti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Turku and Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ukkonen
authors.affiliation: Turku PET Center, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland Department of Medicine, University of Turku and Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saraste
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rinta-Kiikka
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Puijonlaaksontie, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Sakari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kainulainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kähönen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hutri-Kähönen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Puijonlaaksontie, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Tomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laitinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and University of Tampere School of Medicine and Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Terho
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehtimäki
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Turku and Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jorma S A
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Viikari
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hartiala
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland Department of Medicine, University of Turku and Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juonala
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery calcium; Epicardial fat; Risk factors