Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both genders in Turkey as well as other countries. The role of plasma triglycerides (TG) as a CAD risk factor has been controversial. We investigated the relation between age and gender differences in plasma TG and CAD in patients with angiographically proven CAD.
Methods: The study population consisted of 937 patients (605 males and 332 females, aged between 32 and 82 years). The patients were divided into three age groups as < 45, 45-59 and > or = 60 years. Risk factors were considered as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking and family history. Hypertriglyceridemia was defined as TG concentration > 150 mg/dl (> 1.69 mmol/l).
Results: Of the total, 608 had CAD. TG was an independent risk factor for CAD only in women (p < 0.05). There was also a positive correlation between TG concentrations and number of the diseased vessels only in women (p = 0.001, r = 0.2).
Conclusion: High TG concentrations increase CAD risk more in women than in men in Southern Turkey. Triglycerides should be taken into consideration as an important risk factor especially in women > 45 years of age.