Peri-aortic fat tissue thickness in peritoneal dialysis patients

Thoracic peri-aortic fat tissue (PFT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are metabolically active visceral fat deposits surrounding the thoracic aorta and the heart, respectively. Various studies have demonstrated a positive predictive value of both PFT and EAT for coronary artery disease in the general population. In the present study, we aimed to investigate PFT thickness and the independent predictors of PFT in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. ♢

Our cross-sectional study enrolled 35 PD patients (10 women, 25 men) and 30 age-and-sex-matched healthy subjects (15 women, 15 men). We measured PFT, thoracic artery calcification (TAC), EAT, and coronary artery calcification (CAC) by electrocardiogram-gated 64-multi-detector computed tomography. ♢

The measured PFT, EAT, CAC, and TAC were significantly higher in the PD group than in the healthy subjects (p < 0.05 each). In the PD group, PFT and TAC were significantly correlated (r = 0.33, p = 0.007). Also, PFT measurements were positively correlated with EAT and total CAC in the PD and the control group alike (r = 0.58, p = 0.001 and r = 0.54, p = 0.01 respectively). A stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that age, duration of hypertension, and being a PD patient were independent predictors of PFT. ♢

Measured PFT was higher in PD patients than in healthy subjects and, in the PD population, was also shown to be related to calcification scores and EAT.