Synergistic effect of the commonest residual risk factors, remnant cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and inflammation, on prognosis of statin-treated patients with chronic coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND: Currently, remnant cholesterol (RC), lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], and inflammation are considered the principal residual cardiovascular risk (RCVR) factors. This study sought to evaluate the combined impact of RC, Lp(a), and inflammation on prognosis of statin-treated patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS), which has not been investigated. METHODS: A total of 6839 patients with CCS were consecutively enrolled. Baseline RC, Lp(a), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentrations were measured and their medians were used for categorizations. All patients were followed for the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), including cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and stroke. The individual and combined effects of RC, Lp(a), and hsCRP on MACEs were examined and stratification analysis according to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was performed. RESULTS: Over an average of 54.93 ± 18.59 months follow-up, 462 MACEs were recorded. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that elevated RC and Lp(a) levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of MACEs, while high hsCRP levels were related to a slightly but non-significantly increased MACEs risk. Moreover, when participants were subgrouped according to RC, Lp(a), and hsCRP levels together, only High RC-High Lp(a)-High hsCRP group had significantly higher risk of MACEs [hazard ratio (HR) 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–3.47] compared with the reference group (Low RC-Low Lp(a)-Low hsCRP), especially in patients with LDL-C < 2.6 mmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of elevated levels of RC, Lp(a), and hsCRP potentiated the adverse effect on MACEs among statin-treated patients with CCS, suggesting that multiple RCVR factors assessment may be a better strategy to improve stratification in very-high risk population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03448-x.