Relationship of subclinical atherosclerosis indicators to exercise tolerance in patients with coronary heart disease

Abstract

AIM: To study the spread of a number of indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and the pattern of their relationship to their functional state and muscle mass/MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients with chronic forms of CHD were examined. Vascular wall stiffness was judged from pulse wave velocity (PWV) along elastic-type vessels, by calculating the carotid-femoral index (CFI). Endothelial function was estimated by endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV) in a reactive hyperemia test. Ultrasound scanning of the common carotid artery was used to estimate intima-media thickness. All the patients underwent bicycle ergometry; their exercise tolerance (ET) was determined by the amount of consumed oxygen when the metabolic equivalent (MET) was calculated; the percentages of active cell mass (ACM%) and lean mass (LM%) of total body weight were determined; the levels of total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were estimated. A control group comprised 20 matched persons without CHD/RESULTS: A prognostically unfavorable increase of >12 m/sec in CFI was revealed in 20% of the patients with CHD and in 10% of the controls; endothelial vasomotor dysfunction (EDV

Keywords

• subclinical atherosclerosis
• pulse wave velocity
• endothelium-dependent vasodilation
• exercise tolerance