Association between lipid profile and endothelial dysfunction as assessed by the reactive hyperemia index

Introduction We investigated the associations between endothelial dysfunction (ED) as evaluated by the reactive hyperemia index (RHI) obtained using Endo-PAT2000 (R) and atherosclerotic risk factors in patients who underwent coronary artery angiography (CAG). Methods The subjects consisted of 191 patients who were clinically suspected to have CAD and underwent CAG, and in whom we could perform Endo-PAT2000 (R). We divided the patients into ED (RHI<1.67, n = 71) and non-ED (RHI >= 1.67, n = 120) groups. Results The ED group was significantly older and showed a higher ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (L/H) than the non-ED group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the associations between the presence of ED and age, gender, and BMI in addition to L/H. Age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.03,p= .02] and L/H (OR = 1.64,p= .01) were identified as significant independent markers of the presence of ED. Next, we divided 122 patients with statin treatment into ED (n = 40) and non-ED (n = 82) groups. The ED group tended to have higher L/H and lower HDL-C than the non-ED group. HDL-C (OR = 0.95,p= .01) and age (OR = 1.05,p= .04) were identified as independent markers of the presence of ED. Conclusions L/H was an independent marker of the presence of ED in patients without dyslipidemia. In addition, among patients with statin treatment, HDL-C was an independent marker of the presence of ED.