Apoproteins and lipids as discriminators of severity of coronary heart disease.

Serum apoprotein and lipid concentrations were measured in 63 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Thirty-eight patients had 50% or higher grade stenoses, 25 had chest pain, but no significant stenoses. Among the patients with higher grade stenoses 71% had hyperlipoproteinemias as opposed to 12% in patients without stenoses. As compared to suitable normal controls, patients with angiographically documented coronary heart disease showed significant changes in all lipid and apoprotein concentrations under study. However, differences between the two patients groups were also noted. Among these, apo A-I, A-II and B, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were statistically significant. These results indicate that apoprotein A and B levels, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol are good discriminators of the severity of coronary heart disease, while HDL cholesterol is a more suitable parameter for epidemiological studies.