Increased Epicardial Fat Thickness Correlates with Aortic Stiffness and N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.
Epicardial fat, a metabolically active tissue, has emerged as a risk factor and active player in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. We investigated epicardial fat thickness in patients who had sustained an acute ischemic stroke, and we evaluated the relationship of epicardial fat thickness with other prognostic factors. We enrolled 61 consecutive patients (age, ≥18 yr) who had sustained a first acute ischemic stroke and had been admitted to our hospital within 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms. The control group comprised 82 consecutive sex- and age-matched patients free of past or current stroke who had been admitted to our cardiology clinics. Blood samples were taken for measurement of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels at admission. Aortic stiffness indices and epicardial fat thickness were measured by means of transthoracic echocardiography within the first 48 hours. In comparison with the control group, the patients with acute ischemic stroke had significantly higher epicardial fat thickness (4.8 ± 0.9 vs 3.8 ± 0.7 mm; P <0.001), lower aortic distensibility (2.5 ± 0.8 vs 3.4 ± 0.9 cm(2) ·dyn(-1); P <0.001) and lower aortic strain (5.5% ± 1.9% vs 6.4% ± 1.8%; P=0.003). We found a significant association between epicardial fat thickness, NT-proBNP levels, and arterial dysfunction in patients who had sustained acute ischemic stroke. Increased epicardial fat thickness might be a novel risk factor and might enable evaluation of subclinical target-organ damage in these patients.
Ibrahim
I
Altun
Yasemin
Y
Unal
Ozcan
O
Basaran
Fatih
F
Akin
Gulser Karadaban
GK
Emir
Gulnihal
G
Kutlu
Murat
M
Biteker
D000208:Acute Disease; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
Adipose tissue/pathology/ultrasonography; brain ischemia/physiopathology; cerebral infarction/physiopathology; echocardiography; natriuretic peptide, brain/blood; pericardium/ultrasonography; predictive value of tests; prospective studies; risk factors; vascular stiffness/physiology