title: Relationship of thoracic fat depots with coronary atherosclerosis and circulating inflammatory biomarkers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to determine the relationship of various thoracic fat depots with the presence and extent of coronary artery plaque and circulating biomarkers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 342 patients (52 ± 11 years, 61% male, BMI 29.1 ± 5.9 kg/m(2) ) with coronary computed tomography (CT), angiography, we measured the fat volume in four thoracic depots (pericoronary, epicardial, periaortic, extracardiac), assessed coronary plaque, and determined the circulating levels of C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and adiponectin. The extent of coronary plaque was classified into three groups: 0, 1-3, and >3 segments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with plaque (n =169, 49%) had higher volumes of all four fat depots as compared to patients without plaque (all P < 0.01), despite similar BMI (P = 0.18). Extracardiac fat was most strongly correlated with BMI (r = 0.45, P < 0.001), while pericoronary fat was least (r = 0.21, P < 0.001). Only pericoronary fat remained associated with coronary plaque in adjusted analyses. Inflammatory biomarkers showed a positive correlation with pericoronary fat (all P < 0.0001), whereas adiponectin was not associated with this fat compartment (P = 0.60) and showed a negative correlation with all other fat depots (all P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pericoronary fat is independently associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Its correlation with inflammatory biomarkers suggests that while systemic inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of CAD, there are additional local effects that may exist.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|MTA-SE Lendulet Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maurovich-Horvat
authors.affiliation: Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallianos
authors.affiliation: Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Leif-Christopher
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szymonifka
authors.affiliation: Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Schlett
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II - Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.affiliation: Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Division of Cardiology and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging, New York City, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Quynh A
authors.initials: QA
authors.lastname: Truong
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D013909:Thorax; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D002097:C-Reactive Protein