RELATIONSHIP OF THE METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE ANGINA

INTRODUCTION: In view of the high prevalence of coronary artery diseases (CAD) and the fact that the metabolic syndrome is known to predispose to CAD, we studied the relationship between various components of the metabolic syndrome and the severity of CAD. METHODS: A total of 545 patients with stable angina were included in this crosssectional study. Questionnaires were used to obtain information on demographic characteristics, drug history, and history of previous hospitalization. Blood pressure (BP) and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Ten-hour fasting blood samples were taken to measure blood sugar, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) using autoanalyzer. Angiography was performed with the standard method and the patients were scored using extent scoring. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to ATP-III. SPSS 11 was use to analyze data with t-test, ANOVA, correlation and logistic regression tests. RESULTS: The patients had a mean age of 57.93 +/- 10.13 years. High HDL-C was the most frequent abnormality, followed by increased WC and TG. Severity of metabolic syndrome increased with age. CAD was detected in 78.9% of patients with the metabolic syndrome and 46.7% of patients without it (P< 0.05). In regression analysis, the metabolic syndrome was found to be a risk factor for CAD (OR= 1.35, CI= 1.13-1.60). Direct correlation was found between angiography score and metabolic syndrome (P< 0.01, r= 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: The metabolic syndrome is a predisposing factor to CAD; hence CAD prevention should involve measures to control metabolic syndrome, especially through lifestyle modification.