Abstract #1372

Quantification of Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Dagmar Hartung¹, Katja Hueper², Marcel Gutberlet¹, Anne- Mieke Detlef³, Claire Weiss³, Anne Von Bohlen³, Refik Pul⁴, Ulrich Schweiger⁵, Helge Frieling³, Ralf Lichtinghagen⁶, Frank Wacker¹, Kai G. Kahl³

¹Radiology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany; ²Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; ³Psychiatry, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany; ⁴Neurology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany; ⁵Psychiatry, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lbeck, Germany; ⁶Clinical Chemistry, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany

Major depressive disorder is associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease. As epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), a metabolically active visceral fat depot, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease, we hypothesize that EAT is increased in patients with major depression. Fat volumes were quantified by MRI and compared between groups. EAT was significantly elevated in patients with major depression and highest in a subgroup of patients with chronic depression. Therefore, increased EAT may contribute to the higher cardiovascular morbidity in depressed patients and particularly in the chronic form of this disease.