Association between peripheral vascular disease indexes and the numbers of vessels obstructed in patients with coronary artery disease.

INTRODUCTION: The numbers of vessels obstructed in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is an important prognostic factor. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), ankle-brachial index (ABI) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are associated with increasing CAD risks; however, the association between the numbers of vessels obstructed and PWV, ABI and eGFR is not clear.

METHODS: PWV, ABI and eGFR of 58 patients underwent coronary angiography for angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome were measured. The variables that may be related to the number of vessels involved were analyzed using univariate linear regression followed by stepwise multivariate linear regression to determine the best-fit model.

RESULTS: The average PWV, ABI and eGFR were 1523 ± 281 cm/sec, 1.16 ± 0.06 and 76.0 ± 16.7 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for patients with no CAD; 1496 ± 230 cm/sec, 1.14 ± 0.09 and 82.3 ± 12.4 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for 1-vessel CAD; 1733 ± 298 cm/sec, 1.07 ± 0.17 and 63.0 ± 26.3 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for 2-vessel CAD and 1996 ± 664 cm/sec, 0.99 ± 0.19 and 56.2 ± 27.3 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for 3-vessel CAD. Age, diabetes, hypertension, pulse pressure, serum creatinine, eGFR, ABI and PWV were correlated with the numbers of vessel obstructed in univariate regression. In stepwise multivariate linear regression, diabetes, PWV and ABI was independently linked to the numbers of vessels obstructed (P=0.021, 0.004 and 0.025).

CONCLUSION: Noninvasive indexes for atherosclerotic vascular disease including PWV and ABI are linked to the number of vessels obstructed in patients with CAD.