Objective: To study the relationship between insulin sensitivity and diffuse coronary artery disease.
Methods: Ninety-two consecutive patients underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Relationships between the results of angiograms and both glucose tolerance and blood lipids were analyzed.
Results: The mean age of the 92 patients (70 males, 22 females) was 65.4 +/- 6.3 y. In the 78 patients diagnosed by angiography as coronary artery disease, diffuse lesion was more common in diabetic patients than in those without a diabetes history (12/13 vs 24/65, P = 0.00026). Fasting glucose [(6.06 +/- 2.43) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (4.80 +/- 1.47) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.009], glucose levels at one hour [(12.37 +/- 4.38) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (9.10 +/- 3.97) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.001], two hours [(11.12 +/- 5.64) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (7.49 +/- 4.29) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.003] and three hours [(8.11 +/- 5.51) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (5.56 +/- 3.46) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.020] after food were higher in patients with diffuse coronary disease than in those with non-diffuse coronary disease. Differences in the insulin sensitivity index (ISI) between the two groups was statistically significant (-4.36 +/- 0.52 vs -3.89 +/- 0.69, P = 0.003). The incidence of multiple-vessel disease in diabetic patients was higher than that in non-diabetic patients (12/13 vs 33/65, P = 0.00565). Glucose levels at two hours [(10.22 +/- 5.57) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (7.67 +/- 4.43) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.034] and three hours [(7.90 +/- 5.47) x 10(-3) mol/L vs (5.22 +/- 2.79) x 10(-3) mol/L, P = 0.007] after food were higher in patients with multiple-vessel disease than in those with single-vessel disease. Impaired insulin sensitivity without a history of diabetes mellitus was commonly seen in patients with coronary artery disease.
Conclusions: The diffuseness of coronary artery disease is associated with insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance is a common phenomenon in non-diabetic patients.