Epicardial adipose tissue provides incremental value in predicting major adverse cardiac events in systemic sclerosis patients without pulmonary arterial hypertension beyond traditional risk factors
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients face greater odds of developing cardiovascular disease. In this study, patient clinical characteristics, coronary artery calcium score (CACS) values, and epicardial fat volume (EFV) were analyzed to identify predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among SSc patients without pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods: This study enrolled 202 SSc patients and 202 controls from the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University. SSc patients were separated into two groups based on their MACE status. The relationship between EFV and MACE incidence was assessed with Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models, calculating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Discrimination efficiency was evaluated based on global chi-square, concordance index (C-index), net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) index results. The incremental value of EFV as a predictor of MACE incidence was analyzed among these SSc patients. Results: from 45.2 to 52.2 (P<0.01), and corresponding significant increases in IDI and NRI values (0.12 and 0.46, respectively, both P<0.01). Conclusions: High EFV levels are independently associated with MACE risk among SSc patients, with poorer prognostic outcomes being evident among patients with SSc even if they were unaffected by PAH. The introduction of EFV offers incremental utility over traditional risk factors alone for the prediction of MACE incidence.
Institution: Ningbo University
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411901806