Relation Between Serum Total Bilirubin Levels and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

We studied 403 consecutive patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). This population was divided into tertiles according to the SYNTAX score (SXscore). The high SXscore group was defined as an SXscore >= 13, and the low SXscore group as an SXscore < 13. The total bilirubin (sTB) and direct bilirubin levels of patients were significantly higher in the high SXscore group (P = .001 and P = .007, respectively). There was a correlation between sTB and SXscore (r = .495; P = .005). On multivariate linear regression analyses, age (beta = .100; P = .041), sTB levels (beta = .171; P = .005), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (beta = .121; P = .014), and troponin-I (beta = .124; P = .011) remained independent correlates of high SXscore. The mean follow-up period was 18.2 months. All-cause mortality rate was higher in the high SXscore group but did not reach significance (P = .058). In conclusion, high sTB level is independently associated with severity of coronary artery disease in patients with NSTEMI. However, no association was found with long-term mortality.