Metabolic control achievement in a population with premature coronary artery disease: results of the genetics of atherosclerotic disease study

Background and aims: To the best of our knowledge, no studies have investigated the metabolic control of patients with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study analyzes the metabolic control, defined as the simultaneous target in blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c, as well as the factors associated with its achievement in patients with premature CAD. Methods: The study included 1206 patients with CAD diagnosed before the age of 55 and 65 years in men and women, respectively. Sociodemographic, clinical and biochemical data were collected to know the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, including individual components of metabolic control plus smoking cessation and body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m2. Non-strict and strict targets were used to evaluate metabolic control. Results: Participants were 54 ± 8 years old, 19.7% were women and had a median CAD evolution of 2.4 years. Non-strict and strict metabolic control was achieved by 18.4% and 6.2% of patients, respectively. Moreover, 79.8% and 67.6% met a composite of three or more cardiovascular risk factor goals using both criteria. BMI <25 kg/m2 was independently associated with 1.734 (95% confidence interval: 1.207–2.492) and 2.541 (95% confidence interval: 1.608–4.014) higher probabilities to meet non-strict or strict metabolic control. Conclusion: Our results show that 18.4% and 6.2% of subjects with premature CAD achieved non-strict and strict metabolic control, respectively. BMI <25 kg/m2 was found to be associated with the achievement of metabolic control. Multidisciplinary strategies including healthy lifestyle changes and pharmacological therapies could decrease the socioeconomic and clinical impact of premature CAD.