Coronary risk factors in angiographically defined patients with chest pain.

Coronary risk factors were assessed in 186 consecutive patients who received coronary angiography. The severity of coronary luminal narrowing was scored as the coronary sclerosis index (CSI). Patients were divided into normal coronary arteries (N, n = 72), coronary sclerosis without infarction (C, n = 73) and previous myocardial infarction (MI, n = 41). The CSI increased with age. A significant difference in serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and atherogenic index was observed between Groups C or MI and N. Multivariate analysis revealed that CSI had correlated with total- and HDL-cholesterol, uric acid and age in subjects under 55 years; and with age, blood sugar, factor H and HDL cholesterol in those of 55 years or over. When patients were classified by their total and LDL cholesterol level, a significantly different CSI was found between the desirable and high cholesterol levels in subjects under the age of 55, but it was not significant in those over 55. Therefore, disorders in lipid metabolism should be corrected in early middle age.

Changes in blood viscosity following nifedipine administration and its relation to the contents of adenosine triphosphate and 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid in red blood cells in patients with angina pectoris.

The effect of oral administration of nifedipine (Adalat) on whole blood viscosity in patients with angina pectoris was investigated. Whole blood viscosity at a low shear rate of 37.5 s-1 was significantly reduced from 7.90 +/- 0.18 cP to 7.30 +/- 0.27 cP (1 cP = 1 mPa x s) after nifedipine administration (p less than 0.01), though the value at the high shear rate of 375 s-1, Casson yield stress value and Casson viscosity hardly decreased. Content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (2,3-DPG) in the erythrocytes affecting blood viscosity, especially low shear rate viscosity, showed little change, and the hematocrit value was little varied either. Nifedipine, a Ca antagonist, has been known to inhibit Ca entry into the cells. These findings suggest that nifedipine reduces whole blood viscosity, especially low shear rate value, due to inhibition of Ca entry into the red blood cells, without increasing metabolic changes of ATP or 2,3-DPG in the erythrocytes, though measurement of Ca content in erythrocyte was unsolved.