Evaluation of the Relationship Between Erectile Dysfunction and Pericardial and Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness Erektil Disfonksiyon ile Perikardiyal ve Epikardiyal Adipoz Doku Kalınlığı Arasındaki İlişkinin Değerlendirilmesi
Journal of Uludag University Medical Faculty, cilt.52, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 52
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.32708/uutfd.1950206
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Uludag University Medical Faculty
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Echocardiography, Epicardial adipose tissue, Erectile dysfunction, Pericardial adipose tissue, Vascular risk
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) may exhibit early signs of endothelial and vascular impairment even in the absence of overt cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) thickness measured by transthoracic echocardiography and the severity of ED in patients without known systemic comorbidities. The medical records of 58 male patients presenting with ED were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, or other significant systemic disorders were excluded. According to International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores, patients were divided into two groups as moderate-to-severe ED (Group 1, n=27) and mild ED-to-normal erectile function (Group 2, n=31). Demographic characteristics including age, height, weight, and body mass index were similar between the groups. However, significant differences were observed regarding cardiac adiposity measurements. Mean EAT thickness was significantly higher in Group 1 compared with Group 2 (0.75±0.19 mm vs. 0.53±0.18 mm, p=0.0015). Similarly, PAT thickness was greater in Group 1 than in Group 2 (0.85±0.11 mm vs. 0.61±0.17 mm, p<0.001). Although body mass index did not differ significantly between groups, increased local cardiac fat thickness appeared to be associated with ED severity. These findings suggest that echocardiographic assessment of EAT and PAT may provide a simple and non-invasive marker for identifying subclinical vascular risk in patients with ED.