Comparison of epicardial fat thickness between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese women

OBJECTIVE
Epicardial adipose tissue is suggested to play an important role in the progression of metabolic syndrome (MetS). There is not enough evidence regarding the relationship between echocardiographically measured epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and metabolic health status in women with equal obesity. In this study, we aimed to compare the echocardiographically measured EFT between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese women with similar body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) values.

METHODS
A total of 90 women (mean age 51.7±8.6 years) with BMI ≥30 kg/m² were enrolled in the study. EFT was measured with transthoracic echocardiography in all participants. The patients were then classified into two groups; metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). EFT and clinical and biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS
Among the study participants, 46 (51.1%) patients were included in the MHO group. The groups were not different with respect to age, WC, waist to hip ratio, and BMI. The mean value of EFT was 5.53±1.42 mm in patients with MUO and 4.80±1.54 mm in patients with MHO with a statistically significant difference (p=0.022). EFT, fasting insulin, and vitamin D were found as independent variables associated with MUO in obese women.

CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates that EFT is increased in women with MUO, regardless of BMI and waist circumference, than in women with MHO.