ArticleClinical epidemiology2018
Thyroid function and atrial fibrillation: Is there a mediating role for epicardial adipose tissue?
Article in Clinical epidemiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chronic kidney disease and dementia: an epidemiological perspective.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2025Review
- Pathophysiology of obesity and its associated diseases.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2023Review
- Imaging-based body fat depots and new-onset atrial fibrillation in general population: a prospective cohort study.BMC medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe underlying mechanism of the association between thyroid function and atrial fibrillation (AF) is poorly understood, but epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) could be a promising mediator.
methodsIn the 1995 participants (mean age 64.5 years) from the population-based Rotterdam Study, we measured thyroid function (thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine [FT4]) and performed computed tomography to quantify EAT volumes. All participants were followed for the occurrence of AF. We assessed associations of thyroid-stimulating hormone and FT4 with EAT and AF and performed causal mediation analysis to decompose the overall effect of thyroid function on AF with EAT as mediator.
resultsHigher FT4 levels were associated with larger EAT volumes in persons with large waist circumferences, defined by sex-specific cutoffs (0.08 mL more EAT per 1-SD increase in FT4, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.14), but not in persons with a normal waist circumference. In persons with a large waist circumference, higher FT4 levels were associated with a higher AF risk (hazard ratio 1.50, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.83). We found no evidence of a mediating role of EAT in the association of thyroid function with AF (mediated interaction 1.6%, pure indirect effect 3.2%). The estimate of reference interaction of EAT with thyroid function on AF risk was more substantial (10.8%), but statistically nonsignificant.
conclusionsHigher FT4 levels are associated with larger EAT volumes in persons with abdominal obesity. We report no mediating role of EAT in the association of thyroid function with AF, but found evidence for a suggested interaction of FT4 with EAT volumes on AF risk.
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