Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between monocyte count/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (MHR) and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, as assessed by the SYNTAX score (SXscore), in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary angiography.
Materials and methods: A total of 428 patients were included in the study between March 2012 and February 2015. The SXscore was determined with baseline coronary angiography. An SXscore ≥ 23 was regarded as severe CAD by definition, and the patients were divided into two groups: those with low SXscores (< 23) and those with high SXscores (≥ 23).
Results: MHR and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in patients with high SXscores (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lower in the group with high MHR and high SXscores. The cutoff value of MHR that predicted a high SXscore was 24, with a sensitivity of 66 % and a specificity of 65.1 %.
Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature showing that MHR is significantly associated with SXscores. Our results suggest that MHR can be used as a prognostic marker in patients with stable CAD, since it is an easily available and inexpensive test.
Keywords: Atherogenesis; Cholesterol; Echocardiography; Inflammation; Plaque, atherosclerotic.