Synergistic effect of hypertension with diabetes mellitus and gender on severity of coronary atherosclerosis: Findings from Tehran Heart Center registry

BACKGROUND: We performed this study to evaluate the possible synergism between hypertension and other conventional risk factors of coronary artery disease (CAD) on an angiographic severity of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 10502 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography in the cardiac catheterization laboratory of Tehran Heart Center Hospital (Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran), and their conventional risk factors including male gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, smoking, and family history of premature CAD were recorded. The severity of coronary atherosclerosis evaluated by calculation of Gensini’s score. RESULTS: All aforementioned conventional risk factors of CAD were independently associated with severity of CAD. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that hypertension had synergistic effect with male gender [Excess Gensini’s score: 5.93, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.72-9.15, P < 0.001] and also with DM (Excess Gensini’s score: 3.99, 95% CI: 0.30-7.69, P = 0.034) on severity of CAD. No interaction was observed between hypertension and smoking, dyslipidemia and also with a family history of CAD. CONCLUSION: Hypertension has a synergistic effect with DM and male gender on the severity of CAD. These findings imply that more effective screening and treatment strategies should be considered for early diagnosis and tight control of hypertension in male and diabetic people for prevention of advanced CAD.