Impact of body mass index on the relationship of Epicardial fat volume to coronary artery disease in males

Abstract Background Epicardial fat tissue refers to a type of visceral fat tissue that envelops the myocardial and visceral pericardium. It is recognized as a novel risk sign for cardiovascular issues, including coronary artery disease, our aim to assess the influence of body mass index on the amount of epicardial fat volume and its association with coronary artery disease in male patients. Methods Epicardial fat volume was quantified using cardiac Computed tomography scans in a cohort of 119 male patients who were believed to have coronary artery disease. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their body mass index values: Group I Body Mass Index (BMI ≥ 18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 ), Group II (BMI ≥ 25–29.9 kg/m 2 ), and Group III (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ). Results In Group I, there were twenty-three patients (19.3%) with a mean epicardial fat volume of 40 ± .42.8 ml. In Group II, there were forty-three patients (36%) with a mean Epicardial Fat Volume (EFV) of 56 ± 21.5 ml. In Group III, there were 53 patients (44%) with a mean EFV of 56 ± 15.8 ml, when compared to the results of Group I, which were considerably higher ( p = 0.0004). Regarding prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in our patient population, 86 individuals (72.3%) were diagnosed with obstructive coronary artery disease and exhibited a tendency to have a greater value of epicardial fat volume at 56.4 ± 18.9 ml, with a range of 19–121 ml, compared to those without coronary artery disease at 45.2 ± 6.7 ml, with a range of 33–55 ml ( P < 0.02). The prevalence of coronary artery disease was 85% in group III and 87% in group II. Patients in group III with coronary artery disease exhibited a substantially higher EFV of 46 ± 6.63 vs 16 ± 3.2 ml (p = 0.001) compared to those without obstructive coronary artery disease. Conclusions Although epicardial fat volume was elevated in patients with coronary artery disease independent of their BMI, the predictive ability of epicardial fat volume for coronary artery disease was more pronounced in individuals with a body mass index more than 25 kg/m 2 .