Epicardial Fat: Definition, Measurements and Systematic Review of Main Outcomes
Why the study?
Is epicardial fat associated with metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease?
Population
Populations evaluated for epicardial fat, mostly consisting of subjects at high cardiovascular disease risk
Design
Systematic_review
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Association does not establish independence from obesity-related confounders; leaves open standardized use as a risk marker.
Structured PICO
Is epicardial fat associated with metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease?
P
Population
Populations evaluated for epicardial fat, mostly consisting of subjects at high cardiovascular disease risk
O
Outcome
Associations of epicardial fat with metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease
Epicardial fat is a visceral fat deposit associated with coronary artery disease and metabolic syndrome, but its independent prognostic value requires further validation with standardized imaging reference values.
Limitations
- Heterogeneity of the methods used
- Heterogeneity of the populations studied
- Confounding by other known risk factors (obesity, diabetes, age, hypertension)
Cite This Study
Bertaso et al. (2013) studied this question.