Butyrylcholinesterase activity and risk factors for coronary artery disease.

The aim of this study was to verify which risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) are independently correlated with butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity. We studied 88 White individuals (43 males) aged 47.3+/-15.7 years (mean+/-SD; range: 14.0-80.0 years) including 38 with hyperlipidemia, 30 with hypertension and 5 with diabetes mellitus (DM). Simple correlation analysis showed that BChE activity was positively correlated with age, sex, body mass index, hypertension and DM, as well as with triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). However, after a step-wise multiple regression analysis, the only risk factors for CAD that showed independent correlations with BChE activity were, in descending order of importance, Apo B, TGs and DM. Our findings seem to reinforce suggested associations of BChE activity with lipoprotein synthesis and with hypertension, as well as supporting previous data on the relation of BChE activity with disturbances found in diabetes mellitus.