OBJECTIVES: Epicardial adipose tissue is metabolically active and is an important predictor of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue measurement in young patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 77 volunteers, including 40 patients with ESUS (mean age 43±8 y, 16 female patients) and 37 healthy subjects (mean age 38±7 y, 20 female subjects). All necessary biochemical parameters were analyzed, and epicardial fat thickness (EFT) was measured by echocardiography in all subjects. Additional related diagnostic work-up was conducted in each patient, according to the patients' clinical presentation. RESULTS: The patients with ESUS had a significantly higher EFT than the control group (5.51±0.82 vs. 3.96±0.51; P<0.01). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between EFT and serum C-reactive protein levels (r=0.284; P<0.05). As an optimal cut-off point, a high-risk EFT value of 4.6 mm was determined to predict ESUS, with an 87.5% sensitivity and an 81.1% specificity. CONCLUSION: We found that echocardiographic EFT was significantly higher in young patients with ESUS than in healthy individuals. Increased EFT might be a novel risk factor in these patients.
OBJECTIVES: Epicardial adipose tissue is metabolically active and is an important predictor of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue measurement in young patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 77 volunteers, including 40 patients with ESUS (mean age 43±8 y, 16 female patients) and 37 healthy subjects (mean age 38±7 y, 20 female subjects). All necessary biochemical parameters were analyzed, and epicardial fat thickness (EFT) was measured by echocardiography in all subjects. Additional related diagnostic work-up was conducted in each patient, according to the patients' clinical presentation. RESULTS: The patients with ESUS had a significantly higher EFT than the control group (5.51±0.82 vs. 3.96±0.51; P<0.01). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between EFT and serum C-reactive protein levels (r=0.284; P<0.05). As an optimal cut-off point, a high-risk EFT value of 4.6 mm was determined to predict ESUS, with an 87.5% sensitivity and an 81.1% specificity. CONCLUSION: We found that echocardiographic EFT was significantly higher in young patients with ESUS than in healthy individuals. Increased EFT might be a novel risk factor in these patients.
Authors: Maria Inês Rosa; Antonio José Grande; Leticia Dorsa Lima; Eduardo Ronconi Dondossola; Maria Laura Rodrigues Uggioni; Adrian V Hernandez; Gary Tse; Tong Liu; Octávio Marques Pontes-Neto; Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai; Mansueto Gomes Neto; André Rodrigues Durães; Michel Pompeu B O Sá; Elmiro Santos Resende; Leonardo Roever Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2021-04-21
Authors: Jani Pirinen; Vesa Järvinen; Nicolas Martinez-Majander; Juha Sinisalo; Pauli Pöyhönen; Jukka Putaala Journal: J Am Heart Assoc Date: 2020-03-25 Impact factor: 5.501