Association between epicardial adipose tissue and left ventricular function in type 2 diabetes mellitus: Assessment using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

Background And Aims: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is the visceral fat between the myocardium and the visceral pericardium. Dysfunctional EAT can cause cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between EAT and left ventricular function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 116 T2DM patients who were divided into two groups according to their left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS): 53 with GLS <18% and 63 with GLS ≥18%. The thickness of EAT was measured as the echo-free space between the free wall of the right ventricle and the visceral layer of pericardium at end-systole. LV systolic function was evaluated by GLS measured by 2D-STE. LV diastolic function was defined as the ratio of the early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E) to average mitral annular velocity (e¯).

Results: Compared with patients with GLS ≥18% group, the age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), glycosylated hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c), E/e¯, and thickness of EAT were higher in patients with GLS <18% group (all P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the thickness of EAT was independently associated with left ventricular GLS and E/e¯.

Conclusions: Thickened EAT is associated with impaired left ventricular function in T2DM patients. To investigate the association between EAT and left ventricular function can help us gain a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of impaired cardiac function in T2DM patients.