Coronary tortuosity is associated with an elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration and increased risk of ischemic stroke in hypertensive patients

Abstract

ObjectiveThe clinical implication of coronary tortuosity is unclear. The present study was conducted to determine the relationships between coronary tortuosity and the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentration and between coronary tortuosity and cerebrovascular accident in hypertensive patients without coronary artery disease.MethodsIn total, 236 patients with normal coronary angiography findings were categorized into 3 different groups: control participants (n = 58), who had neither hypertension nor coronary tortuosity; patients with hypertension but no coronary tortuosity (H-NCT group, n = 93); and patients with both hypertension and coronary tortuosity (H-CT group, n = 85). The hs-CRP concentration was measured in every patient, and 168 hypertensive patients were followed up for at least 2 years to check for the development of cerebrovascular accident.ResultsThe hs-CRP concentration was significantly higher in the H-CT group than in the control and H-NCT groups (4.33 ± 3.15 vs. 1.52 ± 1.31 and 2.31 ± 2.09 mg/L, respectively). The incidence of lacunar infarction was higher in the H-CT than H-NCT group during the follow-up.ConclusionsHypertensive patients with coronary tortuosity have a higher serum hs-CRP level concentration and have a higher incidence of lacunar infarction than hypertensive patients without coronary tortuosity.

Relationship between sclerostin and coronary tortuosity in postmenopausal females with non-obstructive coronary artery disease

“…This may reflect heightened inflammatory state associated with CT and provide indirect link between CT and adverse cardiovascular events. So far, there is only one study showing higher levels of hs-CRP and higher incidence of lacunar infarcts in hypertensive patients with CT than hypertensive patients without CT [36]. This finding and ours stimulate active research on the possible link between CT, inflammation and adverse cardiovascular events.…”

Coronary tortuosity is negatively correlated with coronary atherosclerosis

“…Coronary tortuosity (CT) is a common finding in coronary angiography. The clinical implication of coronary tortuosity remains unclear 1,2 ; however, previous studies have shown that CT is closely associated with female sex and hypertension 2,3 and that it might also be linked to myocardial ischemia. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Various factors are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, including hemodynamic factors.…”

Assessment of Myocardial Perfusion by Angiographic Methods in Tortuous Coronary Arteries

“…13 A recent study showed that hypertension without obstructive atherosclerotic lesion but with CorT correlated with enhanced high-sensitive C-reactive protein concentration and enhanced incidence of lacunar infarction. 14 On the other hand, the prevalence of tortuosity was 7 times higher in patients with reversible ischemia and normal coronary angiography compared to those without reversible ischemia. 1 In another study, reversible myocardial ischemia was found to be more frequent in patients with CorT with typical angina and normal coronary arteries compared to the normal coronary artery group without CorT.…”