The Relationship Between Epicardial and Perivascular Adipose Tissue Thickness and Adipokine-Cytokine Profile in Ischemic Heart Disease Patients with and without Visceral Obesity
Study Objective: To investigate the relationship between epicardial and perivascular adipose tissue thickness and adipokine-cytokine profile in ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients with and without visceral obesity (VO). Study Design: This was a controlled, randomized, cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four IHD patients were examined. Visceral obesity was diagnosed by computed tomography. The patients were divided into two groups, one made up of patients with VO and the other of those without it. Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism parameters, serum adipokine profile, and serum inflammatory profile were measured. Study Results: In patients with VO, adipose tissue accumulation in the epicardial and perivascular adipocytes was more significant than in patients without VO. In patients with VO, there was a negative correlation between leptin concentrations, on the one hand, and, on the other, epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness in the left and right ventricles, EAT thickness, and the free leptin index (FLI), both during hospitalization and one year after a myocardial infarction. The study showed that the amount of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in the abdominal aorta was directly correlated with leptin and free fatty acid levels, and with the FLI. Examination of the coronary arteries revealed a direct correlation between adipose tissue thickness in the left main coronary artery and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and between adipose tissue thickness in the left circumflex artery and glucose levels. These correlations were not observed in patients without VO. Conclusion: The study data suggest that increased EAT and PVAT thickness may be viewed as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease and as a potential model for assessing the effectiveness of medication therapy.