Relationships between total and regional adiposity and epicardial fat in obese women: how can dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry be associated with echocardiographic epicardial fat measurements?

• Published in: Clinical obesity 2013-10, Vol.3 (5), p.132-140
• Main Authors: Bazzocchi, A., Diano, D., Vicennati, V., Pizzi, C., De Filippo, M., Pasquali, R., Rossi, C., Battista, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry; adipose tissue; body fat distribution; Diet; Multivariate analysis; Obesity; photon
• ISSN: 1758-8103; 1758-8111
• DOI: 10.1111/cob.12027

Summary What is already known about this subject Obesity is an increasingly prevalent metabolic disorder and it is associated with a large number of comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases. Adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ and its ectopic depots and distribution have different metabolic meanings on risks for health; as a matter of fact, epicardial fat seems to play a specific role in cardiovascular diseases. The use of dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) to evaluate and follow‐up patients affected by obesity is becoming a very important point in the management of the disease. What this study adds An investigation of the association between epicardial fat and regional adiposity by DXA in female obese patients. The total amount of central (trunk) fat mass is more strongly correlated than android visceral fat mass to epicardial thickness in obese women. In the interpretation of whole‐body DXA data, physician should consider trunk fat mass for good and independent predictivity on epicardial fat depots. Our aim was to analyse in a population of obese women the relationship between the amount of epicardial fat as measured by transthoracic echocardiography (US) and the parameters of regional adiposity by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), with particular reference to a new software for visceral fat assessment and to a new ‘heart‐suited’ regions of interests (ROIs). Sixty patients who satisfied technical inclusion criteria underwent whole‐body DXA scan and US on the same day. Total and android fat mass (FM) and FM percentage (FM%) were considered as well as visceral fat (VAT) subcompartment in the android region; moreover, six new ROIs were designed on whole‐body DXA images for the investigation of adiposity parameters at heart level. US provided epicardial fat thickness (EPI‐thickness) and area (EPI‐area), as measured following previously validated methods. Body mass index (BMI), gynoid and lower limbs (FM and FM%) were found not statistically correlated with EPI‐thickness. The highest correlation was achieved by trunk FM (and FM%, with r = 0.544 and 0.480 respectively, P