Study On The Relationship Between Free Fatty Acids And The Formation Of Coronary Artery Calcification And Plaque

Objective:To analyze the correlation between free fatty acids(FFA) and coronary artery lesions.Methods:Data was collected from medical records of 590 inpatient cases from January 2013 to June 2014, including FFA and other relevant laboratory values. Multi-slice computed tomography(MSCT) was used to assess the degree of coronary stenosis and calcification, which further led to calculation of coronary stenosis index and coronary artery calcification score. SPSS 16.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis purposes.Results:1. The level of FFA in the plaque group and non-plaque group were 497±215μEq/L vs 517±223μEq/L (P>0.05) respectively; in group of stenosis≥50% and 0%<stenosis<50% were 489±216 μEq/L vs 503±215 μ Eq/L (P>0.05) respectively. The subgroup analysis based on age, sex, statins and diabetes showed that the FFA level had no statistically significant difference in any subgroup. Correlation analysis found no correlation between FFA and other traditional risk factors. Logistic regression indicated that the FFA level was not an independent risk factor for coronary plaque development.2. The AUC of ROC curve of Agatston scores for diagnosing coronary plaques was 0.899 (P<0.001), with sensitivity of 0.789 and specificity of 0.978,the best diagnostic point being 2.The AUC of ROC curve of Agatston scores for diagnosing stenosis≥ 50% was 0.794 (P< 0.028), with sensitivity of 0.614 and specificity of 0.894,the best diagnostic point being 140.3. The levels of FFA in groups of calcified plaques, non-calcified plaques and no plaque were 502±220 μ Eq/L vs 478±190 μ Eq/L vs 518 ±+222 μ Eq/L (P>0.05) respectively. The FFA values for the groups with Agatston scores of 0,1-10.11-100.> 101 were 511±216 μEq/L.510 ±204 μEq/L、520±238 μ Eq/L.479±212 μ Eq/L (P>0.05) respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that the FFA value was negatively correlated with Ca and CPP (r=-0.097, P=0.019; r=0.083, P=0.044);also, it found no correlation between FFA and other traditional risk factors. Logistic regression showed that the FFA level was not an independent risk factor for coronary artery calcification.Conclusion:We conclude that the FFA values had no direct or indirect correlation with the patients’ coronary artery lesions, nor with one of the independent risk factors for coronary calcification.