Aberrations in lipoprotein lipids in men with coronary artery disease and the influence of obesity, smoking and beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs

Abstract

In this study 74 men, 40–60 years old, with incapacitating angina pectoris and angiographically verified coronary artery disease (CAD) were compared to an equal number of randomly sampled healthy men matched for age, occupation and place of living. Obesity and smoking were more common in patients than in controls. The patients had elevated cholesterol (C), triglycerides (TG), and phospholipid (PL) levels dependent on raised concentrations of these lipids in the VLDL and LDL. The C and PL levels in the HDL fraction were decreased. Obesity had a significant influence on the VLDL and HDL levels. Also after taking this influence into account, the CAD patients had higher VLDL and LDL levels and a lower HDL concentration than the controls. Furthermore, regardless of the influence of the TG concentration, the HDL level was reduced in the patients. Smoking habits had no significant influence on the lipoprotein levels. Treatment with beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs was not associated with any significant alteration of the VLDL or the HDL level. The results strengthen the importance of lipoprotein aberrations as risk factors for coronary heart disease also if observed in association with obesity, smoking and treatment with beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs.