What are the associations between epicardial adipose tissue, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal fat with cardiovascular disease burden?
Studies have shown that there is an association between epicardial adipose tissue, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal fat with cardiovascular disease burden. A 2009 study by Mahabadi et al. from the Framingham Heart Study found that higher amounts of epicardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal fat were associated with higher levels of cardiovascular disease burden. A 2011 study by Khawaja et al. found that epicardial fat volume is higher in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Additionally, a 2010 study by Doesch et al. found that bioimpedance analysis parameters and epicardial adipose tissue assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were associated with heart failure. Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that higher amounts of epicardial adipose tissue, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal fat are associated with higher levels of cardiovascular disease burden. 