Apo B/Apo A-I ratio in central and peripheral arterial diseases.

BACKGROUND The apo B/apo A-I ratio represents the balance between atherogenic particles, rich in apo B, and the antiatherogenic ones, apo A-I rich. This study investigated the association between atherosclerotic diseases in different anatomical sites and apo B/apo A-I ratio. METHODS Lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins A-I and B were assessed in 30 subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD), 26 with ischemic stroke (IS), 30 with peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD), and 38 healthy subjects (controls). RESULTS HDLc and Apo A-I were significantly lower in PAOD and CAD groups, respectively, than in other groups. Significantly higher levels of triglycerides were observed for CAD and PAOD groups than for controls. Apo B was significantly higher in IS group than in control and PAOD groups. The apo B/apo A-I ratio showed significantly higher in CAD and IS groups when compared to control and PAOD groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The apo B/apo A-I ratio was important for identifying an increased trend for coronary and cerebral atherosclerosis. In spite of the increased trend for apo B/apo A-I ratio in IS and CAD groups, the studied variables cannot be considered in an isolated way, given as those parameters were analyzed together by a binary logistic regression, no association has been demonstrated.