A Comparative Study of Epicardial Fat Thickness and its Association with Abdominal Visceral Fat Thickness in Obese and Nonobese Type 2 Diabetes Subjects

CONTEXT: The concept of visceral fat and its role in various metabolic disorders is well-known. Epicardial fat (EF) is also visceral fat, and very few studies are done, especially in the Indian subcontinent. AIMS: To study and establish the relationship of EF thickness (EFT) and abdominal visceral fat thickness (VAT) in obese and nonobese type 2 diabetics and to evaluate the usefulness of EFT as a marker of visceral adiposity. SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Medicine, JSS Hospital, Mysore, India, between October 2012 and October 2014. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 68 patients were studied. Patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and ultrasound abdomen. EFT and VAT were measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used. T-test used for comparing quantitative variables. Correlation analysis was done using Pearson correlation test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test were used for analysis. RESULTS: The mean value of EFT was 5.92 mm, 7.43 mm, 12.97 mm, 11.27 mm, and 13.8 mm for nonobese, obesity Grade I, II, III, and morbid, respectively (P < 0.0001). The mean EFT between nonobese and obese diabetics was 5.92 mm and 10.2 mm, respectively (P < 0.0001). The mean VAT between nonobese and obese diabetics was 16.58 mm and 38.53 mm, respectively. EFT was significantly correlating with VAT in obese diabetics. CONCLUSION: EFT and VAT were significantly correlated among obese diabetics while not significantly correlated among nonobese diabetics, suggesting obesity is an independent risk factor for visceral adipose tissue deposition both in abdomen as well as in epicardial surface.