Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
Volume 19, Issue 1 , Pages 58-65, January 2010

Association between Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Pericardial Fat in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

  • Elsayed Z. Soliman, MD, MSc, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Elsayed Z. Soliman, MD, MSc, MS, Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE), Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 2000 W First St, Piedmont Plaza 2, Suite 505, Winston Salem, NC 27104.
    • ,
  • Jingzhong Ding, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • ,
  • Fang-Chi Hsu, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • ,
  • J. Jeffrey Carr, MD, MSCE

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • Department of Radiologic Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • ,
  • Joseph F. Polak, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiology, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
    • ,
  • David C. Goff Jr., MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina

Received 28 January 2009; received in revised form 9 March 2009; accepted 26 March 2009.

Introduction

Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis and a strong predictor of stroke. Pericardial fat (PF), the fat depot around the heart, has been associated with several atherosclerosis risk factors. We sought to examine the association between carotid IMT and PF, and to examine whether such an association is independent from common atherosclerosis risk factors including measures of overall adiposity.

Methods

Unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted linear regression analysis was used to examine associations between common carotid artery (CCA) IMT and internal carotid artery (ICA) IMT with PF in a random sample of 996 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) who underwent carotid ultrasound and chest computed tomography at baseline examination.

Results

A significant positive correlation was observed between PF and CCA-IMT (r=0.27, P < .0001) and ICA-IMT (r=0.17, P < .0001). In an unadjusted sex-specific linear regression analysis, there was a significant association between PF (1-SD difference) and CCA-IMT (mm) in both women (β coefficient [95% confidence interval]: 0.06 [0.04, 0.08], P < .0001) and men (0.03 [0.01, 0.05], P < .0002), an association that persisted after further adjusting for age and ethnicity (0.02 [+0.00, 0.04], P=.0120 for women, and 0.02 [+0.00, 0.03], P=.0208 for men). However, after additional adjustment for atherosclerosis risk factors and either body mass index or waist circumference, these relations were no longer significant in either sex. In similar analyses, PF was significantly associated with ICA-IMT in both men (0.11 [0.06, 0.15], P < .0001) and women (0.08 [0.02, 0.13], P=.0041). These relations were no longer significant in women in multivariable-adjusted models, but persisted in men in all models except after adjusting for age, ethnicity, and waist circumference.

Conclusions

In the general population PF is associated with carotid IMT, an association that possibly is not independent from markers of overall adiposity or common atherosclerosis risk factors.

Key Words: Carotid intima-media thickness, pericardial fat, atherosclerosis, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

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 Supported by contracts N01-HC-95159 through N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95169, R0-HL071250 through R01-HL071252, R01-HL071259, R01-HL071051, R01-HL071205, and R01-HL085323 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

PII: S1052-3057(09)00066-4

doi:10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2009.03.008

Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases
Volume 19, Issue 1 , Pages 58-65, January 2010

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