Authors: Zizi Saad, Mohamed Essa.
Objective: End stage renal disease is commonly associated with vascular calcium deposition, and its relation to cardiovascular risk factors and fetuin –A levels thoroughly studied. The aim of this present study is to assess the direct association between serum fetuin-A level and coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with no renal impairment.
Patients and Methods: A total of 54 patients constituted the study sample (29 males and 25 females). Full history and clinical examination, transthoracic echocardiography, coronary angiography, and biochemical investigations were performed to all patients. Serum fetuin-A level was measured using EDI (Epitope Diagnostics, Inc.) human fetuin-A ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit. A Low level of serum fetuin-A is defined as <0.59 g/L. All patients with renal impairment or valvular heart disease were excluded.
Results: Out of 54 patients included in the study 35 (64.8%) were diagnosed with CAD. Low fetuin-A level was significantly associated with CAD (Mann-Whitney U= 151.5, p=0.001) with an adjusted odds ratio of 12.4 (95% CI: 2.3-68.6) for having low level of fetuin-A versus normal level. Also, a significant correlation was noted between fetuin-A level and serum triglycerides (r= 0.3, p= 0.034), high density lipoprotein (HDL) (r=0.3, p= 0.038) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (r= -0.416, p= 0.002).
Conclusion: Patients with low serum levels of fetuin-A were associated with higher risk of developing CAD. Whether lowered serum fetuin-A is a risk factor or an outcome for CAD, it remains to be investigated.
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