ASSOCIATIONS OF EPICARDIAL FAT THICKNESS AND CIRCULATING MARKERS OF MYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION
Aim: to determine the association of the thickness of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) with the level of biological markers and the degree of myocardial fibrosis one year after myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with visceral obesity (VO). Materials and methods: the study included 88 patients with MI who were then divided into 2 groups: with and without it. VO and myocardial fibrosis a year after MI were measured by magnetic resistance tomography (MRI). Serum levels of COL 1, PICP, PIIINP on the 1st day of MI and after 1 year were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were analyzed using Statistica 6.1 and SPSS 17.0 for Windows. Results: in the presence of VO, an increase in the thickness of EАT, development of cardiofibrosis after 1 year, and an increase in circulating markers of fibrosis in the acute period of MI were observed. A direct correlation was found between the thickness of EАT and the concentration of markers of myocardial fibrosis both on the 1st day of MI and after a year, as well as the percentage of cardiofibrosis and COL1, PICP, PIIINP, on the 1st day of MI for both groups, one year after MI this relationship persisted only in individuals with VO ( r = 0.54, p = 0.01; r = 0.33, p = 0.00; r = 0.51, p = 0.01). Conclusions: the fact of VO in patients with MI is associated both with an increase in the thickness of ECT, the development of cardiofibrosis one year after MI, and with an increase in serum levels of COL 1, PICP and PIIINP on the 1st day and a year after the MI. In addition, the thickness of EАT is directly proportional to the degree of VO, and the levels of myocardial fibrosis markers depend on the value of EАT, this makes it possible to consider EАT as an additional indicator of myocardial fibrosis