Comparison of serum lipid profile and plasma atherogenic index between premenopausal and postmenopausal women

Objective: Menopause leads to changes in hormonal status, metabolism and lipid profile. The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of menopause and age on lipid profile in women. Methods: This study included 160 postmenopausal and 260 premenopausal healthy women. Serum lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were estimated. Premenopausal women were further arranged in to two different age group of 22-45 years and above 45 years of age. The premenopausal and postmenopausal women were recruited and classified using a comprehensive questionnaire. Results: There were statistically significant increases in TC, LDL-C, TG and AIP but there was no significant difference in HDL-C level between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Only LDL-C level was significantly increased in premenopausal women above 45 years of age compared with the premenopausal women between 22-45 years of age. Conclusion: Menopause alters lipid profile. Atherogenic index of plasma which is a marker of plasma atherogenicity may be used to asses risk of developing atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

Preprocedural red blood cell distribution width predicts bare metal stent restenosis

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that increased red blood cell distribution width (RDW) predicts adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease and in patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention. The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive value of preinterventional RDW on the development of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients undergoing stent implantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we compared 131 patients with ISR and 138 patients without ISR who had undergone bare metal stent implantation. RESULTS: Preprocedural RDW was significantly higher in patients with ISR than those without restenosis (14.6±3.2 vs. 13.4±1.6%, P<0.001). Stent length was significantly longer in patients with than those without restenosis (17.9±5.6 vs. 16.2±5.2 mm, respectively, P=0.03). Compared with patients with restenosis, patients without restenosis had a lower rate of diabetes (28 vs. 61 patients, P=0.001), a significantly short period between two coronary angiographies (9.8±9.3 vs. 12.9±11.6 months, respectively, P=0.02), and lower triglyceride levels (133±53 vs. 198±121 mg/dl, respectively, P=0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, diabetes mellitus, stent length, preprocedural RDW, and current smoking independently predicted ISR. CONCLUSION: Increased preinterventional RDW significantly predicts bare metal stent restenosis and might represent a useful screening tool to stratify patients according to a higher or a lower risk of ISR after stent implantation in patients with stable and unstable angina pectoris