Background: The concept of cardio metabolic risk and risk stratification for cardiovascular events are two distinct entities related with different stages of vascular development of the atherogenic process. In our analytical transversal study, we analyzed non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol behavior and the correlations with traditional cardiovascular risk factors in a subpopulation with coronary pain and indication of angio coronarography. We tried to build a mathematical model in order to predict the non-HDLc, allowing additional cardiovascular risk reassesment.
Methods: We included 214 patients hospitalized for symptoms and signs suggestive of coronary artery disease and thus indication of vascular invasive evaluation. The protocol of the vascular evaluation included: assessment of cardiovascular risk for fatal cardiovascular event within the next 10 years, the lipidic risk profile, coronarography and statistical analysis.
Results: We found a positive and highly statistically significant association between carotid artery intima-media thickness (c-IMT) and non-HDLc value (p <0.001). The mathematical model of linear regression showed the variability of non-HDLc depending on the following numeric variables: total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL), triglycerides (TG), metabolic syndrome (MS); 97.5% of the non-HDLc variability was dependent on these variables.
Conclusions: Non-HDLc is a useful prognostic factor in cardio-metabolic risk quantification. The interdependent relation between non-HDLc and cardio-metabolic risk factors justifies the inclusion of this parameter in cardio-metabolic risk prediction equation in subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Keywords: atherosclerosis; cardio-metabolic risk; metabolic syndrome; non-HDLc.