Saphenous Vein Graft Disease Is Associated with a Low Serum Erythropoietin Level

OBJECTIVE: To measure the serum erythropoietin (EPO) level in patients with saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) and to compare the EPO level in those with and without SVG disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 85 consecutive patients with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery that underwent elective coronary angiography. Patients with >30% stenosis (diseased grafts) in at least one saphenous graft were included in group 1 (diseased group: n = 40), and group 2 (nondiseased group: n = 45) consisted of patients without diseased SVGs. The EPO level was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a commercially available ELISA kit; χ(2) test and independent samples t test were used where appropriate. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: There were not any significant differences in age, gender, or cardiovascular risk factors between the two groups except for increased triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein levels in group 2. The EPO level was significantly higher in the nondiseased SVG group than in the diseased SVG group (25.5 ± 9.6 vs. 17.8 ± 6.8 mU ml(−1), p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum EPO level was an independent predictor of SVG disease (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.06–1.24, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, SVG disease was associated with a low serum EPO level, suggesting that a low EPO level could be predictive of and contributes to the pathophysiology of SVG disease.