بررسی ذخیره آهن در بیماران تحت آنژیوگرافی عروق کرونر

Background: Epidemiological studies have suggested an association between higher body iron stores and coronary artery disease. It is believed that inflammation and oxidation are important mechanisms involved in the complex pathological process of atherogenesis. Free radical production is catalyzed and accelerated in the presence of iron. The determination of plasma ferritin levels is a convenient iron balance assessment method. The purpose of this study was to define the correlation of ferritin levels with severity and extent of coronary artery atherosclerosis. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 240 consecutive patients underwent previously indicated coronary artery angiography and were divided into two groups according to their angiographic findings: group 1 with 50% stenosis or less in each of the coronary arteries, and group 2 with more than 50% stenosis of the coronary arteries. Blood samples were taken for routine biochemical tests, including evaluation of serum ferritin levels. The severity and extension of coronary artery stenosis was determined by Gensini score. Results: Group 1 consisted of 120 patients with a mean age of 52  6.8 years, and group 2 had 120 patients with a mean age of 58.1  10.4 years. We found a correlation between serum ferritin level and severity of coronary artery stenosis among men (p=0.02) however, there was no significant difference in serum levels of ferritin between the two groups (63.88 ng/ml vs. 44.26 ng/ml). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in serum ferritin levels of subgroups of patients with major risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and smoking. Conclusion: Overall this study cannot confirm a strong correlation of serum ferritin levels with severity of coronary atherosclerosis in our study population. However, in men it could have a role in the promotion and augmentation of coronary atherosclerosis, suggesting that ferritin could be a comparable index in patients with ischemic heart disease. Therefore, further study is necessary to assess etiological relationship between serum ferritin levels and extension of coronary artery stenosis.