Endothelial dysfunction and increased carotid intima-media thickness in the patients with slow coronary flow.
Flow mediated brachial dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) have been a surrogate for early atherosclerosis. Slow coronary flow in a normal coronary angiogram is not a rare condition, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. A total of 85 patients with angina were evaluated of their brachial artery FMD, carotid IMT and conventional coronary angiography. Coronary flow was quantified using the corrected thrombosis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count method. Group I was a control with normal coronary angiography (n = 41, 56.1 ± 8.0 yr) and group II was no significant coronary stenosis with slow flow (n = 44, 56.3 ± 10.0 yr). Diabetes was rare but dyslipidemia and family history were frequent in group II. Heart rate was higher in group II than in group I. White blood cells, especially monocytes and homocysteine were higher in group II. The FMD was significantly lower in group II than in group I. Elevated heart rate, dyslipidemia and low FMD were independently related with slow coronary flow in regression analysis. Therefore, endothelial dysfunction may be an earlier vascular phenomenon than increased carotid IMT in the patients with slow coronary flow.
The Heart Center of Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
Hyun Ju
HJ
Yoon
Myung Ho
MH
Jeong
Sook Hee
SH
Cho
Kye Hun
KH
Kim
Min Goo
MG
Lee
Keun Ho
KH
Park
Doo Sun
DS
Sim
Nam Sik
NS
Yoon
Young Joon
YJ
Hong
Ju Han
JH
Kim
Youngkeun
Y
Ahn
Jeong Gwan
JG
Cho
Jong Chun
JC
Park
Jung Chaee
JC
Kang
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
D006710:Homocysteine