ANGPTL3 and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

BACKGROUND: The aim of this prospective study was to determine the impact of elevated ANGPTL3 (angiopoietin‐like protein 3) on cardiovascular events (CVEs) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1174 patients with ACS underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention were included in this prospective cohort study (NCT03362385). Patients were categorized according to the apnea–hypopnea index (≥15 events/h, OSA) and further classified by ANGPTL3 levels. We analyzed the incidence of CVEs in patients with ACS according to the status of OSA and ANGPTL3. During a median of 3.1 years of follow‐up, 217 (18.48%) CVEs occurred. The patients with ACS with OSA had higher ANGPTL3 levels than those without OSA (30.4 [20.9–43.2] versus 27.80 [19.1–41.5] ng/mL; P<0.001). In all patients with ACS, 29≤ANGPTL3<42 mg/dL and ANGPTL3≥42 mg/dL were associated with an increased risk of CVEs with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.555 (95% CI, 1.010–2.498) and 2.489 (95% CI 1.613–3.840), respectively. When the status of OSA or not was incorporated in stratifying factors, 29≤ANGPTL3<42 mg/dL and ANGPTL3≥42 mg/dL were associated with a significantly higher risk of CVEs in patients with ACS with OSA (HR, 1.916 [95% CI, 1.019–3.601] and HR, 2.692 [95% CI, 1.379–4.503]) but not without OSA. Moreover, adding ANGPTL3 to the Cox model increased C‐statistic values by 0.035 and 0.029 in the OSA group and all patients with ACS, respectively, but was not statistically improved in patients with ACS without OSA. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study demonstrates a predictive impact of plasma ANGPTL3 on cardiovascular risk in patients with ACS, especially in patients with ACS with OSA. It might be of clinical value in refining risk stratification and tailoring treatment of patients with ACS and OSA. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03362385.