Higher BMI associated with higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma in Younger T2D Patients with CAD

This study was published in Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

The relationship between BMI and coronary plaque characteristics in younger T2D patients with CAD is yet to be explored.

One hundred thirty-eight younger T2D patients (<65 yrs) with CAD underwent OCT (optical coherence tomography) imaging of the culprit lesion. Patients were divided into higher BMI (n=68) and lower BMI (n=70) groups according to the median BMI (25.9 kg/m2.

Key findings from this investigation are:

• The high BMI group had a higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (35.3 vs. 17.1%) than the lower BMI group.
• The prevalence of TCFA was higher in patients with higher BMI compared to lower BMI among patients with haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥7.0% with an odds ratio of 5.40, although a significant difference was not observed among patients with HbA1c <7.0% with OR 0.89.

Researchers from Kitasato University School of Medicine concluding further said, “Our study highlighted that Higher BMI in younger diabetes patients with coronary artery disease is linked to vulnerable coronary plaques. In patients with HbA1c ≥7.0%, higher BMI is associated with a higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheromas. However, in patients with HbA1c <7.0%, higher BMI is not associated with a higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheromas.”

Reference:

Katamine, M. et al. Body mass index and characteristics of coronary plaque in younger patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.12.009