Adiponectin serum concentrations in men with coronary artery disease: the LUdwigshafen RIsk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study.

BACKGROUND Adiponectin, the most abundant adipocytokine of adipose tissue cells, has recently been found to be decreased in coronary artery disease (CAD). Data concerning adiponectin in different stages of CAD are rare, and it was not investigated if adiponectin levels are influenced by the severity of angina pectoris. METHODS Thus, we measured adiponectin serum levels by means of ELISA in 1626 male probands, including 273 control subjects, 367 subjects with silent CAD, 608 patients with stable, and 378 patients with unstable angina. RESULTS As compared to controls (8.56; 5.85 to 12.85 microg/ml) and subjects with silent CAD (8.60; 5.99 to 12.64 microg/ml), adiponectin was significantly decreased in patients with stable (7.22; 5.06 to 10.41 microg/ml; p < 0.001 for both) and unstable angina (6.72; 4.08 to 10.08 microg/ml; p < 0.001 for both). By a logistic regression analysis, low adiponectin levels were identified as a significant independent predictor for stable and unstable angina (p < 0.001 for both). No significant differences of adiponectin were observed, neither between the stable and unstable angina group, nor between any classes of angina according to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Angina Score for stable angina. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest, that decreased adiponectin levels are indicative for symptomatic CAD, but are not further influenced by the progression of this disease.