Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
05:51

Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness

Published on: May 3, 2018

Pericardial fat is associated with carotid stiffness in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

T E Brinkley1, F-C Hsu, J J Carr

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. tbrinkle@wfubmc.edu

Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases : NMCD
|February 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Pericardial fat (Pfat) is linked to increased arterial stiffness, a key factor in vascular aging and cardiovascular disease risk. This association persists even after accounting for traditional risk factors and obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Vascular Biology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness is a significant indicator of vascular aging and a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Pericardial fat (Pfat), the adipose tissue surrounding the heart, may influence arterial stiffness through local paracrine signaling.
  • Understanding the relationship between Pfat and arterial stiffness is crucial for assessing CVD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pericardial fat (Pfat) and carotid artery stiffness.
  • To determine if this association is independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors and obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized computed tomography (CT) to quantify pericardial fat (Pfat) in 5770 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants.
  • Employed carotid artery ultrasonography to measure carotid stiffness, specifically the distensibility coefficient (DC) and Young's modulus (YM).
  • Performed statistical analyses adjusting for demographic, clinical, behavioral, and metabolic variables.

Main Results:

  • Higher pericardial fat (Pfat) was significantly associated with lower carotid artery distensibility (DC) in men and higher Young's modulus (YM) in women.
  • A 1 standard deviation increase in Pfat was linked to a 0.00007 1/mm Hg lower DC in men (p=0.0002) and a 48.1 mm Hg/mm higher YM in women (p=0.002).
  • These associations remained significant after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors, inflammatory markers, and measures of atherosclerosis, and were not substantially altered by adjustments for body mass index or waist circumference.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated levels of pericardial fat (Pfat) are independently associated with increased carotid artery stiffness.
  • The findings suggest that Pfat may play a direct role in arterial stiffening, beyond its association with overall obesity.
  • This highlights Pfat as a potential target for cardiovascular risk assessment and intervention.
Abstract

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