THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EPICARDIAL AND PARACARDIAL FAT THICKNESS AND DISEASE SEVERITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are frequently observed in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Body-mass index, aırflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise index was used to assess the prognosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although epicardial fat thickness is associated with cardiovascular diseases, few studies have investigated its relationship with the Body-mass index, aırflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise index. Therefore, we investigated this relationship in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Materials and Method: We enrolled 78 patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 65 healthy controls. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests and a six-minute walk test. We used thoracic computerized tomography at admission to measure the epicardial and paracardial fat thickness. Participants’ demographic data (age, sex, body mass index, and smoking status) and biochemical parameters (e.g., glucose, urea, creatinine) were measured. Results: The epicardial fat thickness values of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The B-Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale scores and Body-mass index, aırflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise indices did not differ significantly between the low and high paracardial fat thickness/body mass index ratios. Conclusion: This study demonstrated an independent and negative relationship between epicardial fat thickness with the Body-mass index, aırflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise index, which indicates the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Keywords: Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Epicardial Adipose Tissue; Severity of Illness Index.