Free fatty acids and cardiovascular outcome: a Chinese cohort study on stable coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: Studies have revealed that plasma level of free fatty acids (FFAs) is related to cardiovascular disease. However, the role of FFAs in clinical outcomes of stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) has been less evaluated. This study, therefore, was to investigate the predictive value of FFAs in Chinese cohort with angiography-proven SCAD. METHODS: A total of 1670 consecutive patients with angina-like chest pain who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled and followed up for an average time of 36.9 months. The baseline characteristics were collected. Clinical and biochemical parameters of patients with or without cardiovascular events (CVEs) including all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and coronary revascularization were compared. According to the quartiles of baseline FFAs, patients were divided into four groups. The relationship of FFAs level and CVEs was evaluated. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 146 patients suffered from CVEs. Patients with CVEs had elevated plasma level of FFAs than patients without CVEs (P = 0.002). Using the Cox proportional hazards model, the unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) for CVEs in the fourth FFAs quartile was 2.09 (95% CI:1.32–3.33; P = 0.002) and was 1.80 (95% CI: 1.11–2.94; P = 0.018) after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors when compared with that in the first FFAs quartile. CONCLUSIONS: The present study on Chinese cohort with angiography-proven SCAD suggested that increased plasma level of FFAs was an independent risk factor of CVEs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12986-017-0195-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.