Prevalence and pattern of lipid disorders in Saudi patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and patterns of dyslipidemia in Saudi patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD). This is a cross-sectional, hospital-based study, which was conducted on all Saudi patients who underwent coronary angiography under the author's personal care and were found to have > 50% coronary stenosis. Fasting lipid profile was measured in all patients during the admission for the coronary angiography. Two hundred and ninety-five patients were included in the study. The mean age (±Standard deviation) was 55.1 ± 11, ranging from 17 to 86 years. The majority of patients were males: 229 (77.6%). Mean total cholesterol was 175.6 ± 47.6 mg/dl, mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was 111.3 ± 40.3 mg/dl, mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 38.27 ± 9.5 mg/dl and mean triglyceride level was 141.8 ± 74.8 mg/dl. 21 (7.1%) patients had normal coronary arteries, 107 (36.3%) had one vessel disease, 78 (26.4%) had two vessel disease and 89 (30.2%) had three vessel disease. There was a significant correlation between the extent of CAD and age (P = 0.003), sex (P = 0.0002), total cholesterol (P = 0.02) and low HDL-C (P < 0.001. 21 (7.1%) patients were asymptomatic, 110 (37.3%) had stable angina, 127 (43.1%) had none ST elevation acute coronary syndrome, 20 (6.8%) had ST elevation myocardial infarction and 17 (5.7%) had heart failure. There was also a significant correlation between age (P = 0.03), sex (P < 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.005) and low HDL-C (P < 0.001) and the severity of CAD. Dyslipidemia is a very prevalent risk factor in Saudi patients with CAD. Low HDL-C was the most frequent lipid abnormality, which significantly impacts on the extent of the CAD.