Evolutional change in epicardial fat and its correlation with myocardial diffuse fibrosis in heart failure patients.

•Adjusted (index) epicardial fat (EAT) is independent associated with global fibrosis.•Patients with systolic heart failure (HF) had largest EAT volume comparing to patients with HF and preserved ejection fraction and the controls.•This is the largest prospective HF cohort study for evolutional change of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging–EAT and global fibrosis.