Aim: We aimed to investigate the correlation between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and body mass index (BMI) in different ethnic groups in New Zealand.
Methods: The study included 205 individuals undergoing open heart surgery. Māori and Pacific groups were combined to increase statistical power. EAT was measured using 2D echocardiography.
Results: There were 164 New Zealand Europeans (NZE) and 41 Māori/Pacific participants. The mean (SD) age of the study group was 67.9 (10.1) years, 69.1 (9.5) for NZE and 63.5 (11.4) for Māori/Pacific. BMI was 29.6 (5.5) kg/m2 for NZE and 31.8 (6.2) for Māori/Pacific. EAT thickness was 6.2 (2.2) mm and 6.0 (1.8) mm for NZE and Māori/Pacific, respectively. Using univariate linear regression, BMI showed moderate correlation with EAT in NZE (R2=0.26, p<0.001); however, there was no significant correlation between BMI and EAT in Māori/Pacific patients (R2=0.05, p=0.17). Using multivariate analysis, BMI remained a significant predictor of EAT thickness in NZE (R2 =0.27, p<0.001).
Conclusions: BMI was associated with EAT thickness in NZE patients, but not in Māori/Pacific patients. The same level of BMI can carry different connotations of risk in different ethnic groups, with BMI likely being an inconsistent measure of obesity in in Māori/Pacific patients.