The Impact of Prognostic Nutritional Index on Coronary Flow Reserve in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

OBJECTIVE: The recurring inflammation of mucosal layer of intestines is known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can be accompanied by nutritional deficiencies. The association between inflammation and coronary artery disease has been established. Coronary flow reserve (CFR), which is an established method to evaluate combined microvascular and epicardial flow of coronary arteries, can be assessed by using transthoracic echocardiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) with CFR in IBD patients. METHOD: This prospective study included 101 patients with IBD. These patients were compared to control group (n=32). PNI was calculated by using serum albumin level and lymphocyte count. CFR was assessed by using Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the presence of IBD, age (>40 years) and decreased PNI (<53.8) independently predict impairment of CFR. The area under the curve (AUC) was 75.1% (95% CI:0.664-0.838), and PNI levels were significant predictor of low CFR (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that PNI, which is calculated using the serum level of albumin and lymphocyte count, is a strong predictor of decreased CFR in IBD patients in remission. Our findings support previous studies showing the relationship between PNI and coronary artery disease. This immunonutritional index has only two components and is easy to calculate, and inexpensive.