BACKGROUND: Pericardial fat has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related cardiovascular disease. Whether the associations of pericardial fat and measures of cardiac structure and function are independent of the systemic effects of obesity and visceral adiposity has not been fully explored. METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants from the Framingham Heart Study (n=997; 54.4% women) underwent chest and abdominal computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging between 2002 and 2005. Pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and visceral adipose tissue quantified from multidetector computed tomography, along with body mass index and waist circumference, were examined in relation to cardiovascular magnetic resonance measures of left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end-diastolic volume, and left atrial dimension. In women, pericardial fat (r=0.20 to 0.35, P<0.001), intrathoracic fat (r=0.25 to 0.37, P<0.001), visceral adipose tissue (r=0.24 to 0.45, P<0.001), body mass index (r=0.36 to 0.53, P<0.001), and waist circumference (r=0.30 to 0.48, P<0.001) were directly correlated with LV mass, LV end-diastolic volume, and left atrial dimension. In men, pericardial fat (r=0.19 to 0.37, P<0.001), intrathoracic fat (r=0.17 to 0.31, P<0.001), visceral adipose tissue (r=0.19 to 0.36, P<0.001), body mass index (r=0.32 to 0.44, P<0.001), and waist circumference (r=0.34 to 0.44, P<0.001) were directly correlated with LV mass and left atrial dimension, but LV end-diastolic volume was not consistently associated with adiposity measures. Associations persisted after multivariable adjustment but not after additional adjustment for body weight and visceral adipose tissue, except for pericardial fat and left atrial dimension in men. CONCLUSIONS: Pericardial fat is correlated with cardiovascular magnetic resonance measures, but the association is not independent of or stronger than other ectopic fat stores or proxy measures of visceral adiposity. An important exception is left atrial dimension in men. These results suggest that the systemic effects of obesity on cardiac structure and function may outweigh the local pathogenic effects of pericardial fat.
BACKGROUND: Pericardial fat has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related cardiovascular disease. Whether the associations of pericardial fat and measures of cardiac structure and function are independent of the systemic effects of obesity and visceral adiposity has not been fully explored. METHODS AND RESULTS:Participants from the Framingham Heart Study (n=997; 54.4% women) underwent chest and abdominal computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging between 2002 and 2005. Pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and visceral adipose tissue quantified from multidetector computed tomography, along with body mass index and waist circumference, were examined in relation to cardiovascular magnetic resonance measures of left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end-diastolic volume, and left atrial dimension. In women, pericardial fat (r=0.20 to 0.35, P<0.001), intrathoracic fat (r=0.25 to 0.37, P<0.001), visceral adipose tissue (r=0.24 to 0.45, P<0.001), body mass index (r=0.36 to 0.53, P<0.001), and waist circumference (r=0.30 to 0.48, P<0.001) were directly correlated with LV mass, LV end-diastolic volume, and left atrial dimension. In men, pericardial fat (r=0.19 to 0.37, P<0.001), intrathoracic fat (r=0.17 to 0.31, P<0.001), visceral adipose tissue (r=0.19 to 0.36, P<0.001), body mass index (r=0.32 to 0.44, P<0.001), and waist circumference (r=0.34 to 0.44, P<0.001) were directly correlated with LV mass and left atrial dimension, but LV end-diastolic volume was not consistently associated with adiposity measures. Associations persisted after multivariable adjustment but not after additional adjustment for body weight and visceral adipose tissue, except for pericardial fat and left atrial dimension in men. CONCLUSIONS: Pericardial fat is correlated with cardiovascular magnetic resonance measures, but the association is not independent of or stronger than other ectopic fat stores or proxy measures of visceral adiposity. An important exception is left atrial dimension in men. These results suggest that the systemic effects of obesity on cardiac structure and function may outweigh the local pathogenic effects of pericardial fat.
Authors: Ali H Mokdad; Earl S Ford; Barbara A Bowman; William H Dietz; Frank Vinicor; Virginia S Bales; James S Marks Journal: JAMA Date: 2003-01-01 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Guy L Wheeler; Rong Shi; Stephanie R Beck; Carl D Langefeld; Leon Lenchik; Lynne E Wagenknecht; Barry I Freedman; Stephen S Rich; Donald W Bowden; Michael Y Chen; J Jeffrey Carr Journal: Invest Radiol Date: 2005-02 Impact factor: 6.016
Authors: Tomasz Mazurek; LiFeng Zhang; Andrew Zalewski; John D Mannion; James T Diehl; Hwyda Arafat; Lea Sarov-Blat; Shawn O'Brien; Elizabeth A Keiper; Anthony G Johnson; Jack Martin; Barry J Goldstein; Yi Shi Journal: Circulation Date: 2003-10-27 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Walter Oliver; Gwendolyn Matthews; Colby R Ayers; Sonia Garg; Sachin Gupta; Ian J Neeland; Mark H Drazner; Jarett D Berry; Susan Matulevicius; James A de Lemos Journal: Circ Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2017-02 Impact factor: 7.792
Authors: E DeVallance; S B Fournier; D A Donley; D E Bonner; K Lee; J C Frisbee; P D Chantler Journal: Int J Obes (Lond) Date: 2014-06-24 Impact factor: 5.095
Authors: Omar Bayomy; Ajay D Rao; Rajesh Garg; Anand Vaidya; Alyssa R Kotin; Beata Reiber; Stephanie Nijmeijer; Marcelo F Di Carli; Michael Jerosch-Herold; Raymond Y Kwong; Gail K Adler Journal: Metab Syndr Relat Disord Date: 2017-05-15 Impact factor: 1.894
Authors: DeMarc A Hickson; Jiankang Liu; Aurelian Bidulescu; Cecil M Burchfiel; Herman A Taylor; Marcy F Petrini Journal: Chest Date: 2011-07-07 Impact factor: 9.410
Authors: M Canepa; J B Strait; Y Milaneschi; M AlGhatrif; R Ramachandran; S Makrogiannis; M Moni; M David; C Brunelli; E G Lakatta; L Ferrucci Journal: Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis Date: 2013-07-01 Impact factor: 4.222
Authors: Jadranka Stojanovska; Ella A Kazerooni; Mohamad Sinno; Barry H Gross; Kuanwong Watcharotone; Smita Patel; Jon A Jacobson; Hakan Oral Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2015-03-13 Impact factor: 5.315