Relationship between coronary risk factors and the number of involved vessels in coronary angiography

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cigarette
smoking are major coronary artery disease risk factors. This study was
performed to detect the correlation between major coronary risk factors and the
number of diseased vessels in coronary angiography.
Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 196 patients with coronary
artery disease who underwent coronary angiography in Shafa hospital of Kerman
during a six-month period. Data were collected by a questionnaire that was used
to record coronary risk factors and number of involved vessels in angiography.
Narrowing of more than 50% of the vessel was considered remarkable stenosis.
T-test Chi-Square, Man-Whitney and Kruscal-Wallis tests were used for data
analysis.
Results: The sample included 142 (72%) males, 54 (28%) females, and the mean
age was 55.1% years. Single, two and three vessel involvement was detected in
42.3% and 23% 42.3% of the patients, respectively. Patients with one vessel
disease had diabetes mellitus and hypertension in comparison with those who had
two or three vessel involvement (P<0.05). There was no significant relation
between hyperlipidemia and cigarette smoking with the number of involved
vessel. In the diabetic patients, the likelihood of two or three vessel involvement
was higher than that in non-diabetics (odds ratio = 2).
Conclusion: In our study, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the main risk
factors for the presence of three vessel disease. Diabetic patients were at high risk
with respect to the number of vessel involvement because of accelerated
atherosclerosis process in diabetes.