Epicardial fat thickness and severity of coronary heart disease in patients with diabetes mellitus type II.

BACKGROUND: Clinical imaging studies have demonstrated a strong direct correlation between epicardial fat and abdominal visceral adiposity. There are several studies about positive correlation of epicardial fat and atherosclerotic coronary disease in general population. This study aimed to evaluate the association of epicardial fat thickness with atherosclerotic coronary disease in patients with diabetes mellitus type II.

METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study involved 80 patients with diabetes mellitus type II. The patients were chosen using simple sampling method from patients with diabetes mellitus who were referred for angiography because of suspected coronary artery disease. The severity of coronary atherosclerotic lesions was evaluated using modified Gensini scoring system. Epicardial fat thickness was measured by transthoracic echocardiography within 90 days after coronary angiography. Multiple linear regression method was used to evaluate the association between mean epicardial fat thickness and Gensini score.

RESULTS: After adjustment for the effects of body mass index (BMI), age, angina, and sex, there was a significant association between Gensini score and epicardial fat thickness (β = 0.825; P < 0.001). Patients with higher blood pressure and higher body mass index also had a higher Gensini score (P < 0.010).

CONCLUSION: In patients with diabetes mellitus type II, there is a positive association between epicardial fat thickness and severity of coronary artery disease. So, by echocardiography evaluation of epicardial fat thickness, we could have an estimation of the severity of coronary arteries diseases before using more invasive techniques.