TY - JOUR
T1 - Pericardial fat is associated with prevalent atrial fibrillation
T2 - The framingham heart study
AU - Thanassoulis, George
AU - Massaro, Joseph M.
AU - O'Donnell, Christopher J.
AU - Hoffmann, Udo
AU - Levy, Daniel
AU - Ellinor, Patrick T.
AU - Wang, Thomas J.
AU - Schnabel, Renate B.
AU - Vasan, Ramachandran S.
AU - Fox, Caroline S.
AU - Benjamin, Emelia J.
PY - 2010/8
Y1 - 2010/8
N2 - Background-Obesity represents an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). We tested the hypothesis that pericardial fat, a unique fat deposit in close anatomic proximity to cardiac structures and autonomic fibers, is associated with prevalent AF. Methods and Results-Participants from the Framingham Heart Study underwent multidetector computed tomography from 2002 to 2005. We estimated the association between quantitative pericardial, intrathoracic and visceral adipose tissue volumes (per standard deviation of volume) with prevalent AF adjusting for established AF risk factors (age, sex, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure treatment, PR interval, and clinically significant valvular disease). Of the 3217 eligible participants (mean age, 50.6±10.1 years; 48% women), 54 had a confirmed diagnosis of AF. Pericardial fat but not intrathoracic or visceral abdominal fat was associated with prevalent AF in multivariable-adjusted models (odds ratio per standard deviation of pericardial fat volume, 1.28; 95% confidence intervals, 1.03 to 1.58). Further adjustments for body mass index, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and intrathoracic fat volume did not materially change the association between pericardial fat and AF. Conclusions-Pericardial fat was associated with prevalent AF even after adjustment for AF risk factors, including body mass index. If this association is replicated, further investigations into the mechanisms linking pericardial fat to AF are merited.
AB - Background-Obesity represents an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). We tested the hypothesis that pericardial fat, a unique fat deposit in close anatomic proximity to cardiac structures and autonomic fibers, is associated with prevalent AF. Methods and Results-Participants from the Framingham Heart Study underwent multidetector computed tomography from 2002 to 2005. We estimated the association between quantitative pericardial, intrathoracic and visceral adipose tissue volumes (per standard deviation of volume) with prevalent AF adjusting for established AF risk factors (age, sex, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure treatment, PR interval, and clinically significant valvular disease). Of the 3217 eligible participants (mean age, 50.6±10.1 years; 48% women), 54 had a confirmed diagnosis of AF. Pericardial fat but not intrathoracic or visceral abdominal fat was associated with prevalent AF in multivariable-adjusted models (odds ratio per standard deviation of pericardial fat volume, 1.28; 95% confidence intervals, 1.03 to 1.58). Further adjustments for body mass index, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and intrathoracic fat volume did not materially change the association between pericardial fat and AF. Conclusions-Pericardial fat was associated with prevalent AF even after adjustment for AF risk factors, including body mass index. If this association is replicated, further investigations into the mechanisms linking pericardial fat to AF are merited.
KW - Atrial fibrillation
KW - Epidemiology
KW - Obesity
KW - Pericardial adipose tissue
KW - Risk factor
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U2 - 10.1161/CIRCEP.109.912055
DO - 10.1161/CIRCEP.109.912055
M3 - Article
C2 - 20558845
AN - SCOPUS:77956679967
SN - 1941-3149
VL - 3
SP - 345
EP - 350
JO - Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology
JF - Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology
IS - 4
ER -