Increased cystatin C levels as a risk factor of cardiovascular events in patients with preserved estimated glomerular filtration rate after elective percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular events. Cystatin C (CysC) has been proposed as a sensitive marker for CKD. However, the predictive value of CysC for cardiovascular events in CAD patients with preserved estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is unclear. We enrolled 277 consecutive patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention with sirolimus-eluting stents (SES). Patients with an eGFR ≤60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) were excluded. Serum CysC levels were measured immediately before SES implantation. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were defined as cardiovascular death, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and hospitalization because of congestive heart failure. After a median follow-up of 63 months, 29 patients had MACCE. The subjects were divided into 2 groups based on median serum CysC levels and eGFR (0.637 mg/L and 72.43 ml/min/1.73 m(2), respectively). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the high CysC group had a significantly higher occurrence of MACCE than the low CysC group (p = 0.006), although a low level of eGFR was not significantly associated with an increased risk for occurrence of MACCE. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum CysC levels were an independent predictor of MACCE [hazards ratio: 1.30 per 0.1 mg/L (1.01-1.63), p = 0.038]. These data suggested that serum CysC level is an independent predictor of MACCE, even in patients with preserved eGFR after elective SES implantation.