Elevated Endocan Levels And Its Association With CAD In Hypertension Patients

Background Endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease(CAD). Previous studies suggested that human endothelial cellspecific molecule-1(endocan) may be a novel endothelial dysfunction marker. This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum endocan level and CAD in patients with hypertension. Methods A total of 190 eligible hypertension patients and 58 volunteers were enrolled in this study. Serum endocan level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The presence and severity of CAD were evaluated by coronary angiography and SYNTAX score. Results Hypertensive patients with CAD had significantly higher serum endocan level than those without CAD(1.63±0.51 ng/ml vs. 1.31±0.65 ng/ml, P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression revealed that serum endocan level was independently associated with the presence of CAD(OR: 2.662, 95% CI: 1.560 to 4.544; P<0.001).Spearman rank correlation analysis demonstrated that serum endocan level was associated with SYNTAX score(r=0.349, P=0.001).Conclusions Serum endocan level is independently correlated with the presence of CAD and the value of SYNTAX score in hypertension patients. Those with high endocan level may have an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.