Novel Lipid Risk Stratification for CAD

Background: Elevated levels of triglyceride (TG) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) are regarded as a residual lipid risk in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering therapy. This study investigated the association between lipid risk stratified by TG and non-HDL-C and the prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and the association between stratified lipid risk and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) index. Methods and Results: The 624 CAD patients enrolled in flow-mediated dilation (FMD)-J study A were divided into 4 groups: low-risk group (n=413) with TG <150 mg/dL and non-HDL-C <170 mg/dL; hyper-TG group (n=180) with TG ≥150 mg/dL and non-HDL-C <170 mg/dL; hyper-non-HDL group (n=12) with TG <150 mg/dL and non-HDL-C ≥170 mg/dL; and high-risk group (n=19) with TG ≥150 mg/dL and non-HDL-C ≥170 mg/dL. Comparison of the groups showed the cumulative incidence of a 3-point major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) was different and highest in the high-risk group in all the patients (P=0.009), and in patients with a FMD index ≥7.0% (P=0.021), but not in those with a FMD index <7.0%. Multivariable regression analysis showed that high lipid risk (P=0.019) and FMD <7.0% (P=0.040) were independently correlated with the incidence of a 3-point MACE. Conclusions: Novel stratification of lipid risk, simply using TG and non-HDL-C levels, combined with FMD measurement, is useful for predicting cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CAD