Correlation between epicardial fat thickness and aortic valve sclerosis.

Background Epicardial fat is a true visceral fat deposit with adverse effects through the secretion of numerous proinflammatory and proatherogenic cytokines. Previous studies showed an association between aortic valve sclerosis and coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between epicardial fat thickness and aortic valve sclerosis. Method The study involved 225 patients who were admitted for coronary angiography due to new-onset angina. They underwent transthoracic echocardiography and epicardial fat thickness was determined. The sclerosis scoring of each aortic cusp, average aortic valve sclerosis score index, and left ventricular ejection fraction were determined. The variables of left ventricular diastolic function obtained included the early diastolic velocity determined by transmitral pulsed Doppler, and early mitral annular velocity measured by tissue Doppler. Results Patients with an epicardial fat thickness ≥7 mm were older ( p = 0.006), with more hypertension ( p = 0.045) and hyperlipidemia ( p < 0.001). Their average aortic valve sclerosis score index was higher (1.4 ± 1.02 vs. 0.86 ± 0.85, p = 0.001), and left ventricular ejection fraction and early mitral annular velocity were lower ( p < 0.001 and 0.03, respectively). They also exhibited more left ventricular hypertrophy ( p = 0.026) and a trend towards more significant coronary artery disease and 3-vessel disease ( p = 0.086 and 0.073, respectively). Conclusion Our findings confirm that epicardial fat as a marker of visceral adipose tissue may have an important role in promoting inflammatory and atherosclerotic changes in the aortic valve.