The association between serum adiponectin levels and the severity of coronary artery lesions on the angiogram

OBJECTIVES
Decreased serum adiponectin levels have been shown in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated the association between serum adiponectin levels and CAD severity on the angiogram.

STUDY DESIGN
The study included 86 patients (70 males, 16 females; mean age 60 years) with angiographically documented CAD (≥50% stenosis). The patients were divided into three groups according to the number of vessels affected; thus, 18 had single-vessel, 16 had two-vessel, and 52 had multiple-vessel disease. The severity of coronary lesions was assessed using the modified Gensini score. Serum adiponectin levels were measured in the CAD group and in a control group of 33 subjects (16 males, 17 females; mean age 54.8 years) who were found to have normal coronary arteries on angiography.

RESULTS
The mean age, the number of male patients, and the number of smokers were significantly higher in the CAD group (p=0.01). Patients with CAD exhibited significantly lower serum levels of adiponectin compared to the control group (2.0±2.0 µmg/dl vs. 3.2±2.7 µmg/dl; p=0.01). There were no significant differences in adiponectin levels between patients with single-, two, and multiple-vessel disease. Compared to the controls, patients with two- and multiple-vessel disease had significantly lower adiponectin levels (1.5±0.9 µg/dl and 2.0±2.0 µg/dl, respectively), whereas those with single-vessel disease (2.6±2.5 µg/dl) did not differ from the controls in this respect. The mean Gensini score was 3.8±1.7 in the CAD group. There was a weak inverse correlation between serum adiponectin levels and the Gensini score (r=-0.209; p=0.02).

CONCLUSION
Serum adiponectin levels are decreased in CAD patients compared to controls. This decrease is more prominent with increasing levels of CAD severity, which may be a helpful clue of multivessel disease.