Excess epicardial fat volume in post- menopausal women is associated with increased cardiovascular structural and functional abnormalities

Epicardial fat volume (EFV) has been associated with an increase in cardiovascular structural and functional abnormalities (CVSFA). The purpose of the study is to assess whether a stepwise excess increase in EFV is associated with a proportional increase in CVSFA. We screened 276 asymptomatic individuals, ages 50 to 89, for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk using the Rasmussen Risk Score (RRS) and a CT scan for the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and EFV determination. The RRS scoring system consists of 10 tests; 7 of which are vascular and 3 are cardiac. Additional tests included fasting blood sugar, fasting lipid profile, CRP, Pro-BNP, waist circumference, and BMI. Of the 276 total subjects that were asymptomatic of cardiac symptoms, 144 were post-menopausal women (52.2%). These 144 female subjects were further divided into 5 groups based on their EFV: Group 1 (31 subjects) with an EFV <69 cm 3 , Group 2 (45 subjects) with an EFV between 70 cm 3 and 94 cm 3 , Group 3 (21 subjects) with an EFV between 95 cm 3 and 119 cm 3 , Group 4 (33 subjects) with an EFV between 120 cm 3 and 144 cm 3 , and Group 5 (14 subjects) with an EFV of 145 cm 3 and greater. The statistical analysis used to determine statistical significance of the study results included ANOVA, T-Test and Chi-Square analysis. Based on our data, excess epicardial fat volume is associated with earlier structural and functional abnormalities in comparison to normal epicardial fat volume levels.