Association of epicardial adipose tissue with incident coronary heart disease and death in HIVinfected patients

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been reported to be highly inflamed and to be associated with incident coronary artery disease (CAD) and allcause mortality in the general population. Its association with adverse events in HIV is unknown. Observational study of 843 consecutive HIVinfected patients receiving stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 6 months who underwent cardiovascular risk stratification at the Metabolic Clinic of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, inclusive of coronary artery calcium (CAC) and EAT screening. Patients were followed for CAD and all-cause mortality for a median of 4.7 years. In this large well-characterized cohort of HIV patients, EAT was an independent predictor of untoward events after approximately 5 years of followup. This study supports the association of an abnormal ectopic fat accumulation and adverse events in HIV-infected patients.