title: Epicardial fat thickness regression with continuous positive airway pressure therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: assessment by two-dimensional echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common syndrome in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Epicardial fat thickness (EFT), an indicator of visceral adiposity, is a novel parameter for studying patients with OSA. Our aim was to investigate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) therapy on EFT.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 162 subjects (68 women and 94 men) were included and divided into three groups: Group I: Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) < 5 (n  = 45), Group II: AHI 5-15 (n  = 22), and Group III: AHI > 15 (n  = 95). All participants underwent full-night polysomnography and transthoracic echocardiography. There were 28 symptomatic patients with AHI > 15 who received compliant CPAP therapy for 24 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MetS was more frequent, and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), blood glucose were higher in Group III compared with I (p  < 0.05). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were lower in Group III compared with I (p < 0.05). Triglyceride levels and waist circumference were higher in Group III compared with I and II (p  < 0.05). EFT was higher in Group III compared with I and higher in Group II compared with I (p < 0.05). EFT was predicted by MetS and AHI. After CPAP therapy high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and EFT were reduced (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EFT was significantly higher in patients with AHI > 15 and predicted by MetS and AHI. CPAP therapy reduced hsCRP levels and EFT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kudret Private Hospital, GMK Bulvarı Nr. 81, Ankara, Turkey. ceramos3@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Süha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Çetin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sakarya University School of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Gökhan
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vural
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sakarya University School of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gündüz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sakarya University School of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akdemir
authors.affiliation: Pulmonology Clinic, Ministery of Health Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Educational Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hikmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fırat
mesh_terms: D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: CPAP therapy; Epicardial fat thickness; Obstructive sleep apnea