Evaluating Dyslipidemia and Atherogenic Indices as Predictors of Coronary Artery Disease Risk: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The frequency of coronary artery disease (CAD) has alarmingly increased in India accounting for the majority of all fatalities. The primary risk factor for CAD, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke is dyslipidemia. CAD risk can be ascertained by the lipid profile as well as atherogenic risk indices. Due to the current scenario of increased CAD prevalence and the established role of dyslipidemia as a risk factor for CAD, this study aimed at identifying the prevalent lipid abnormalities in a tertiary care hospital in Telangana and studying the predictive value of atherogenic indices for assessing CAD risk.

Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Data pertaining to the subjects from January 2021 to December 2021 was retrieved from the hospital records.

Results: Serum triglycerides (TG) were in the higher range for 47 % (n= 235) of total subjects and isolated Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was higher in 12.6% (n = 63). The overall burden of dyslipidemia was 72.20% (n=361) with 57.6 % (n=208) in males and 42.4% (n=153) in females). The most common dyslipidemia found was Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia in 42.8% (n=214) of individuals. The second most common pattern of dyslipidemia was Primary Familial Hypercholesterolemia which was observed in 25% (n=125) of subjects. Dysbetalipoproteinemia was seen in 24.2% (n=121) of the study subjects. ROC analysis found the Atherogenic Coefficient (AC) to be the most sensitive and specific cardiovascular risk index. 57.8% of the subjects had AC >2.44 and were at the highest risk for developing CAD.

Conclusions: The overall burden of dyslipidemia was 72.2%. AC was found to be the most sensitive and specific cardiovascular risk index by ROC curve analysis. Around 57.8% of the subjects had AC >2.44 and were at the highest risk for developing CAD. This study emphasizes the importance of atherogenic indices in the primary prevention and management of CAD, a growing non-communicable disease.