title: Postmenopausal Women With Greater Paracardial Fat Have More Coronary Artery Calcification Than Premenopausal Women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Cardiovascular Fat Ancillary Study.
abstract: Volumes of paracardial adipose tissue (PAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are greater after menopause. Interestingly, PAT but not EAT is associated with estradiol decline, suggesting a potential role of menopause in PAT accumulation. We assessed whether volumes of heart fat depot (EAT and PAT) were associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) in women at midlife and whether these associations were modified by menopausal status and estradiol levels.
  
  
  
  EAT and PAT volumes and CAC were measured using electron beam computed tomography scans. CAC was evaluated as (1) the presence of CAC (CAC Agatston score ≥10) and (2) the extent of any CAC (log CAC Agatston score >0). The study included 478 women aged 50.9 years (58% pre- or early perimenopausal, 10% late perimenopausal, and 32% postmenopausal). EAT was significantly associated with CAC measures, and these associations were not modified by menopausal status or estradiol. In contrast, associations between PAT and CAC measures were modified by menopausal status (interaction-P≤0.01). Independent of study covariates including other adiposity measures, each 1-SD unit increase in log PAT was associated with 102% higher risk of CAC presence (P=0.04) and an 80% increase in CAC extent (P=0.008) in postmenopausal women compared with pre- or early perimenopausal women. Additional adjustment for estradiol and hormone therapy attenuated these differences. Moreover, the association between PAT and CAC extent was stronger in women with lower estradiol levels (interaction P=0.004).
  
  
  
  The findings suggest that PAT is a potential menopause-specific coronary artery disease risk marker, supporting the need to monitor and target this fat depot for intervention in women at midlife.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA elkhoudarys@edc.pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Samar R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: El Khoudary
authors.affiliation: Lupus Center of Excellence, Autoimmunity Institute, Department of Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Imke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance, CA.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Budoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Program in Health Disparities Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Everson-Rose
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Lynda H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Matthews
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: calcification; epicardial fat; menopause; paracardial fat