Identifying cardiovascular risk factors in a patient population with coronary artery ectasia.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is frequently considered as a form of coronary artery disease. Cardiovascular risk factors were determined in a patient population with CAE. The 51 patients with isolated CAE (group 1), 61 patients with CAE coexisting with significant coronary stenosis (group 2), and 62 subjects with significant coronary stenosis (group 3) were included in the study, and the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors was compared. Thirty of 51 patients with isolated CAE had presented with typical angina pectoris, 8 patients with unstable angina pectoris, and 13 patients had atypical chest pain or palpitation. The 21 of 51 patients with isolated CAE had definitive positive treadmill exercise test results. Positive family history was similar in each group. The history of smoking was similar in group 1 and group 2 but higher than group 3. Frequency of hypertension was similar in group 1 and group 2 but higher than that in group 3. Frequency of diabetes mellitus was similar in group 1 and group 2 but lower than group 3. Plasma lipid levels and the number of patients with lipid disturbances were also similar in each group. In addition, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were above the normal limits and there was no difference among groups with respect to plasma CRP levels. CAE appears to be associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, and hyperlipidemia. In addition, elevated CRP level in patients with CAE may suggest the role of inflammatory process in development of CAE.