BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING, cilt.18, sa.2, ss.85-93, 2013 (SCI-Expanded)
Background Hypertension, identifiable by elevated blood pressure (BP), is a heterogeneous multifactorial disorder. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), a special fat depot that is related to visceral fat rather than total adiposity, shares the same microcirculation with myocardial tissue and coronary vessels. Recent studies have identified EAT as an active organ, which secretes several mediators, called adipokines, affecting the vascular system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between EAT and BP, endothelial function, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) independent of conventional and novel metabolic risk factors in patients with previously untreated hypertension.