Relation of Epicardial Adipose Tissue With Arterial Compliance and Stiffness in Patients With Hypertension

Abstract

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the association between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and arterial function in patients with asymptomatic hypertension. Patients with hypertension (n = 155) were enrolled consecutively. Patients with decreased arterial compliance (AC) and increased cardioankle vascular index (CAVI) had higher EAT values compared with those with normal AC and CAVI (6.23 ± 1.67 vs 4.91 ± 1.40, P < .001 and 6.02 ± 1.61 vs 4.96 ± 1.46, P = .01, respectively). Analysis using the receiver-operating characteristics curve demonstrated that EAT 5.5 mm constitutes the cutoff value for the presence of increased CAVI with 67% sensitivity and 62% specificity (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.702, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.590-0.814) and decreased AC with 77% sensitivity and 65% specificity (AUC: 0.756, 95% CI 0.645-0.867). Assessment of EAT during echocardiography examination may provide information on arterial function in patients with asymptomatic hypertension. The link between EAT and arterial stiffness deserves further investigation.

Relationship Between Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness and Fragmented QRS

“…EAT also plays an important role in the inflammatory process in the cardiovascular system via its endocrine and paracrine activity (6,15) . Several studies showed that EAT is associated with a variety of disorders such as atherosclerosis, xanthelasma palpebrarum, hypertension, arterial stiffness, enlarged atrial and ventricular dimensions, ventricular premature beats, atrial fibrillation, and increased LV mass (16)(17)(18)(19)(20) . Some potential mechanisms can be proposed to explain relationship between EAT and fQRS.…”

Association of Epicardial Adipose Tissue with Essential Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis

“…Two studies investigated the association of EAT-t with the grade of hypertension 12,30 . Additionally, four studies reported the association of cardiac remodeling and function with EAT 15,26,51,52 ,and three studies provided data addressing the association of ASCVD with EAT in hypertensive patients 15,28,53 .…”

“…It secretes numerous cytokines including adipocytokines, chemokines and interleukins, mediating unfavorable metabolism and proin ammatory activities 9 , which is involved in the pathophysiology of obesity-related heart diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial brillation, and carotid plaque 10 . There is growing evidence suggesting the association between EAT and EH [11][12][13][14][15] . EAT was increased in patients with EH compared with normotensive individuals [16][17][18] , and the incidence of hypertension was increased in subjects with higher amount of EAT 12 .…”

Epicardial fat: a novel marker of subclinical atherosclerosis in clinical practice?

“…EAT has been also associated with markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. In this context, EAT was positively correlated with arterial stiffness (assessed by both pulse wave velocity and cardio-ankle vascular index) ( 10 , 11 ), and negatively with flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) ( 12 ). Furthermore, EAT has been positively related to CIMT in several patient populations, including those with T2DM, NAFLD, and MetS, ( 13 – 15 ) as well as in children and adolescents ( 16 ).…”

“…Lifestyle interventions and certain drugs, such as anti-obesity (orlistat), hypolipidemic (statins, ezetimibe), and antidiabetic (metformin, pioglitazone, liraglutide, and exenatide) may improve abnormal adiposity ( 9 ). Apart from CV risk, EAT has been linked to markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, including arterial stiffness, FMD, CIMT and carotid plaques ( 11 – 13 , 18 ). As it can be easily measured during echocardiography, EAT represents an attractive surrogate to assess subclinical atherosclerosis, as well as drug effects on CV risk in clinical practice ( 19 ).…”