ABSTRACT
In a previous clinical study it was found that patients with coronary heart disease and diabetics with peripheral artery disease often have an elevated erythrocyte aggregation value (AW) and that there is a positive correlation between AW and the number of risk factors found in a subject. In the present investigation we studied the relationship between AW and the serum concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which is known to be inversely associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence. We found highly significant negative correlations between AW and HDL-C both in a subsample of the study population of a cross-sectional epidemiologic study on CHD risk factors (First Survey of the MONICA Project Augsburg) and in male patients with angiographically confirmed CHD. Correlation coefficients were -0.233 for normal men (P less than 0.01, n = 136), -0.261 for normal women (P less than 0.01, n = 117), and -0.745 for CHD patients (P less than 0.01, n = 14). The results support the concept that the erythrocyte aggregation value as an indicator of cardiovascular risk is consistent with established risk factor associations.
Subject(s)
Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Coronary Disease/blood , Erythrocyte Aggregation , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Arterial Occlusive Diseases/blood , Erythrocyte Aggregation , Myocardial Infarction/blood , Humans , Middle Aged , RiskABSTRACT
The red blood cell aggregation value (AW) in a group of 39 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) was measured and compared with that of an age- and sex-equivalent group of normals and a group of 12 patients with suspected CAD, whose coronary arteries were found to be normal by coronary arteriography. The AW was significantly higher in CAD patients than in both normal groups (2P < 0.01 and 2P < 0.02 respectively). The AW in a group of 12 CAD-patients treated with the aggregation lowering drug clofibrate was significantly lower than in the untreated CAD-group. The predictive value of AW was calculated by means of mathematical methods. Measurement of AW could be a useful aid in the study of detection of CAD.
