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. 2022 Jun 13;5(4):e693.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.693. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Association of familial Mediterranean fever and epicardial adipose tissue: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Karam R Motawea  1 , Omneya A Kandil  1 , Joseph Varney  2 , Merna Aboelenein  1 , Nancy Ibrahim  1 , Ahmed Shaheen  1 , Lina T Khairy  3 , Agyad Bakkour  4 , Ali H H Muwaili  5 , Dhuha H H Muwaili  5 , Fatima A A Abdelmajid  6 , Eman M S Ahmad  7 , Mhd K Albuni  8 , Elias Battikh  8 , Bisher Sawaf  8 , Sarya Swed  9 , Safaa M A Ahmed  10 , Dina M Awad  1 , Jaffer Shah  11 , Hani Aiash  12   13
Affiliations

Association of familial Mediterranean fever and epicardial adipose tissue: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Karam R Motawea et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background and aim: Some studies reported a positive link between familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and epicardial adipose tissue. Our meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether there is a significant association between FMF and increased epicardial adipose tissue thickness.

Methods: We searched the following databases: PUBMED, WOS, OVID, SCOPUS, and EMBASE. Inclusion criteria were any original articles that reported epicardial adipose tissue in FMF patients with no age restriction, excluding reviews, case reports, editorials, animal studies, and non-English studies. Thirty eligible studies were screened full text but only five studies were suitable. We used RevMan software (5.4) for the meta-analysis.

Results: The total number of patients included in the meta-analysis in the FMF patients group is 256 (mean age = 24.3), and the total number in the control group is 188 (mean age = 24.98). The pooled analysis between FMF patients and controls was [mean difference = 0.82 (95% CI = 0.25-1.39), p-value = 0.005]. We observed heterogeneity that was not solved by random effects (p > 0.00001). We performed leave one out test by removing the Kozan et al. study, and the heterogeneity was solved (p = 0.07), and the results were (MD = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.52-1.43, p-value < 0.0001).

Conclusion: FMF patients are at increased risk of developing epicardial adipose tissue compared to controls. More multicenter studies with higher sample sizes are needed to support our results.

Keywords: Meta analysis; epicardial adipose tissue; familial Mediterranean fever; lipids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The lead author affirms that this manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported; that no important aspects of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned (and, if relevant, registered) have been explained.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The Prefered Reporting Items for Systematic Revie and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the association between familial Mediterranean fever and epicardial adipose tissue
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of the association between FMF and epicardial adipose tissue after performing leave‐one‐out test
Figure 4
Figure 4
Publication bias
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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