Endothelial dysfunction, increased carotid artery intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity, and increased level of inflammatory markers are associated with variant angina

摘要

Background: Endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation may be associated with variant angina (VA). Flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are widely used as non-invasive modalities for evaluating atherosclerosis.Methods and results: A total of 254 patients with chest pain were divided into three groups according to coronary angiogram (CAG) finding. There were 76 patients (VA group: 53.5+- 10.2 years, 41 males) with normal CAG with positive ergonovine-provocation test (EPT), 58 patients (control group: 55.3 +-8.7 years, 30 males) with normal CAG with negative EPT, and 120 patients with angiographically diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD group: 56.3+-9.7 years, 79 males). The level of FMD was lower in the VA group than in the control group (7.7 +-3.5% vs. 9.4 +-3.8%, p = 0.014). Carotid IMT was higher in the VA group than in the control group (0.58+-0.1mm vs. 0.54+-0.1mm, p = 0.029). The brachial-ankle PWV