Association of Arterial Stiffness and Lipid Profile in Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death in India. The prevalence of the CAD related mortality in non-diabetic patients is 11%. Increased arterial stiffness may be independently contributing to increased mortality and morbidity in CAD. However, arterial stiffness and hyperlipidaemia are known to coexist in CAD. Aim: To measure lipid profile and arterial stiffness and to explore the possible association between the two. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, 150 angiographically proven CAD patients and 150 apparently healthy subjects with no history of CAD were recruited. The study was initiated after written consent informed was obtained. Augmentation Index (AIx) and Sub Endocardial Viability Ratio (SEVR) were measured out in all the participants using Pulse wave analysis (SphygmoCor device). Lipid profile parameters Total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins, very low density lipoproteins, and total cholesterol/high density lipoproteins ratio) were measured using Humastar automated analyser. All the measured parameters were analysed by student t-test using SPSS version 22.0. Results: The present study found that significant increase in AIx in CAD patients (29.66 +/- 12.85) than controls (23.28 +/- 7.96%) (p<0.0001) and decrease in SEVR (p<0.0001) in CAD cases (139.56 +/- 31.77) when compared to controls (161.99 +/- 37.33). There was no significant difference in lipid profile between the two groups. Conclusion: The results suggest that arterial stiffness has independently increased in patients with CAD. However, we did not find significant association between lipid profile and arterial stiffening.