الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Visceral adipose tissue is not only a fat deposition around internal organs. It performs endocrine and metabolic functions, representing an important source of a number of bioactive molecules that can profoundly affect energy metabolism as well as vascular, immunologic, and inflammatory responses. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a true visceral fat deposited between the heart and pericardium, particularly in the atrioventricular and interventricular sulcus, lateral wall of the right ventricle, and around the coronary arteries. Its presumed physiologic functions include lipid storage and hormone, cytokine and chemokine secretion, and is associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). EAT releases a wide range of biologically active molecules that modulate vascular smoothmuscle contraction. Their paracrine effects might be attributable to their location being close to the adventitia and extravascular bed. Recent studies have suggested that increased EAT thickness may serve as a novel cardio-metabolic risk factor and may be linked to hypertension. Hypertension causes compensatory processes in heart due to increased chronic workload manifested as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which is frequently diagnosed by echo-cardiography. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important predictor of mortality and morbidity in patients with hypertension as may lead to diastolic dysfunction, may reduce coronary flow reserve and may facilitate ventricular arrhythmias. Moreover, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a marker of subclinical cardiovascular disease. Association between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is still unclear. Evaluation of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness by transthoracic echocardiography has come to the forefront because of many advantages, such as easy availability, low cost, no radiation exposure, fastness, and reproducibility. The current study aimed to assess the relationship of Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness in hypertensive patients with or without left ventricular hypertrophy. This case control study population consisted of 105 consecutive patients with hypertension and a control group of 30 apparently healthy individuals were included. |