Abstract 12976: Higher Triglyceride Level is Associated With Higher Frequency of Macrophage Accumulation in Coronary Plaques

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2020-11, Vol.142 (Suppl_3 Suppl 3), p.A12976-A12976
• Main Authors: Asakura, Kiyoshi, Minami, Yoshiyasu, Katamine, Masahiro, Kato, Ayami, Katsura, Aritomo, Sato, Toshimitsu, Muramatsu, Yusuke, Hashimoto, Takuya, KAMEDA, RYO, Meguro, Kentaro, Shimohama, Takao, Ako, Junya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539
• DOI: 10.1161/circ.142.suppl_3.12976

IntroductionThe impact of high triglyceride (TG) level on the characteristics of coronary plaque remains to be elucidated. HypothesisHigher TG level is associated with higher prevalence of vulnerable coronary plaque in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). MethodsA total of 865 consecutive patients who underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the culprit lesion were included. Patients were classified into either the higher TG group (non-fasting TG ≥ 200 mg/dL, n=150) or the lower TG group (non-fasting TG < 200 mg/dL, n=715). The morphologies of culprit plaque assessed by OCT were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe median (interquartile range) of TG in the 2 groups was 265.5 (221.5 – 314.8) mg/dL and 115.0 (84.0 – 152.0) mg/dL, respectively. The frequency of macrophage accumulation was significantly higher in the higher TG group than the lower TG group (41 vs. 33%, p=0.043) (Panel A), whereas the prevalence of other plaque components including thin-cap fibroatheroma (22 vs. 19%, p=0.386), microchannel (24 vs. 25%, p=0.907) and cholesterol crystal (23 vs. 23%, p=0.862) was comparable between the two groups. The incremental frequency of macrophage accumulation according to TG levels was observed (p=0.015, Panel B). Although the frequency of macrophage accumulation was comparable between the 2 groups among patients with a higher HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) level (>35 mg/dL), macrophage accumulation was significantly more frequent in the higher TG group than in the lower TG group (71 vs. 41%, p=0.032) among patients with a lower HDL-C level (≤35 mg/dL). ConclusionsHigher TG level was associated with higher frequency of macrophage accumulation in culprit plaques in patients with CAD. The present results may partly explain the role of TG on the development of culprit plaque in coronary artery.