著者
Ryosuke Sato Yasushi Matsuzawa Tomohiro Yoshii Eiichi Akiyama Masaaki Konishi Hidefumi Nakahashi Yugo Minamimoto Yuichiro Kimura Kozo Okada Nobuhiko Maejima Noriaki Iwahashi Masami Kosuge Toshiaki Ebina Kazuo Kimura Kouichi Tamura Kiyoshi Hibi
出版者
Japan Atherosclerosis Society
雑誌
Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (ISSN:13403478)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.64368, (Released:2023-10-12)
参考文献数
48

Aim: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level reduction is highly effective in preventing the occurrence of a cardiovascular event. Contrariwise, an inverse association exists between LDL-C levels and prognosis in some patients with cardiovascular diseases—the so-called “cholesterol paradox.” This study aimed to investigate whether the LDL-C level on admission affects the long-term prognosis in patients who develop acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to examine factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with low LDL-C levels. Methods: We enrolled 410 statin-naïve patients with ACS, whom we divided into low- and high-LDL-C groups based on an admission LDL-C cut-off (obtained from the Youden index) of 122 mg/dL. Endothelial function was assessed using the reactive hyperemia index 1 week after statin initiation. The primary composite endpoint included all-cause death, as well as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke occurrences. Results: During a median follow-up period of 6.1 years, 76 patients experienced the primary endpoint. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that patients in the low LDL-C group had a 2.3-fold higher risk of experiencing the primary endpoint than those in the high LDL-C group (hazard ratio, 2.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-4.27; p=0.005). In the low LDL-C group, slow gait speed (frailty), elevated chronic-phase high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (chronic inflammation), and endothelial dysfunction were significantly associated with the primary endpoint. Conclusions: Patients with low LDL-C levels at admission due to ACS had a significantly worse long-term prognosis than those with high LDL-C levels; frailty, chronic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction were poor prognostic factors.