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Impact of the triglyceride level on coronary plaque components in female patients with coronary artery disease treated with statins

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Abstract

Several studies have reported that elevated triglyceride (TG) levels may be more strongly associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in females than in males. We examined gender differences in the relationship between TG levels and coronary atherosclerosis using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB IVUS) in CAD patients treated with statins. Three hundred seventy-eight CAD patients (105 females and 273 males) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention using IB IVUS, and who were already receiving statin treatment, were included. Gray-scale and IB IVUS examinations were performed for the non-culprit segment of a coronary artery and fasting serum TG concentrations were measured. We found that TG levels were significantly correlated with increased lipid (r = 0.40, p < 0.001) and decreased fibrous (r = − 0.37, p < 0.001) plaque components in females, but not in males. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were not related to either the gray-scale or IB IVUS parameters in both genders. After adjustment for conventional coronary risk factors by a multivariate stepwise regression analysis, higher TG levels in females were independently associated with increased lipid (β = 0.31, p< 0.001) contents in coronary plaques. In conclusion, among CAD patients treated with statins, TG levels were associated with lipid-rich coronary plaques in females, but not in males. TG levels may be more important indicators of residual risk after statin treatment in females than in males.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan

    Motoki Yamashita, Atsushi Iwata, Takashi Kuwano, Amane Ike, Makoto Sugihara, Hiroaki Nishikawa & Shin-ichiro Miura

  2. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

    Yuta Kato

  3. Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka City Medical Association Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

    Makito Futami

  4. Department of Clinical Research and Ethics Center, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Satoshi Imaizumi

  5. Department of Biochemistry, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Bo Zhang & Shin’ichiro Yasunaga

  6. Department of Molecular Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keijiro Saku & Shin-ichiro Miura

  7. Department of General Research Center for Medical Science, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Keijiro Saku

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  1. Motoki Yamashita
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Correspondence to Atsushi Iwata.

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Conflict of interest

KS and SM are Directors of NPO Clinical and Applied Science, Fukuoka, Japan. KS and SM received a Grant from the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation of “Clinical Research Promotion Foundation” in Fukuoka, Japan, and part of this work was transferred to NPO Clinical and Applied Science, Fukuoka, Japan. KS has an Endowed Department of Molecular Cardiovascular Therapeutics (SM), Fukuoka University, supported by MSD Co., Ltd, and an Endowed Department of Community and Emergency Medicine (MS, HN, SM), Fukuoka University, supported by Izumi City, Kagoshima, Japan.

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Yamashita, M., Iwata, A., Kato, Y. et al. Impact of the triglyceride level on coronary plaque components in female patients with coronary artery disease treated with statins. Heart Vessels 33, 1175–1184 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-018-1173-x

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