Systemic effects of obesity on cardiac structure and function may outweigh local effects of pericardial fat
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A total of 997 patients participating in the Framingham Heart Study underwent chest and abdominal computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance between 2002 and 2005 in order to assess whether the associations of pericardial fat and measures of cardiac structure and function were independent of the systemic effects of obesity and visceral adiposity. In both genders, pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, visceral adipose tissue, body mass index, and waist circumference were directly correlated to left ventricular (LV) mass and left atrial size. In women but not in men, these measures were also directly correlated to LV end-diastolic volume. Except for pericardial fat and left atrial size, the associations did not persist after adjusting for body weight and visceral adipose tissue. Thus, pericardial fat is correlated to cardiovascular magnetic resonance measures. However, the association is not stronger than that observed with other ectopic visceral fat stores or visceral adiposity surrogates, with the exception of left atrial dimension in men. This suggests that local pathogenic effects of pericardial fat on cardiac structure and function may be outweighed by systemic effects of obesity.
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