Association of pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal fat with cardiovascular disease burden: the Framingham Heart Study

The aim of this study was to assess whether pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and visceral abdominal adipose tissue (VAT) are associated with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort underwent abdominal and chest multidetector computed tomography to quantify volumes of pericardial fat, intrathoracic fat, and VAT. Relations between each fat depot and CVD were assessed using logistic regression. The analysis of 1267 participants (mean age 60 years, 53.8% women, 9.7% with prevalent CVD) demonstrated that pericardial fat [odds ratio (OR) 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.57; P = 0.002] and VAT (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.11-1.57; P = 0.003), but not intrathoracic fat (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.93-1.39; P = 0.22), were significantly associated with prevalent CVD in age-sex-adjusted models and after adjustment for body mass index and waist circumference. After multivariable adjustment, associations were attenuated (P > 0.14). Only pericardial fat was associated with prevalent myocardial infarction after adjusting for conventional measures of adiposity (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.03-1.82; P = 0.03). Pericardial fat and VAT, but not intrathoracic fat, are associated with CVD independent of traditional measures of obesity but not after further adjustment for traditional risk factor. Taken together with our prior work, these findings may support the hypothesis that pericardial fat contributes to coronary atherosclerosis.