Semin Vasc Med 2004; 4(2): 197-202
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-835378
Copyright © 2004 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA.

Mechanistic Insights and Clinical Relevance of the Interaction between Acute Coronary Syndromes and Lipid Metabolism

Luis C.L Correia1 , Marcel Th.B Twickler2 , Andrei C. Sposito1
  • 1Heart Institute (InCor), Zerbini Foundation, Brasília, Brazil
  • 2Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Catholic University Nijmegen/Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
11 October 2004 (online)

As part of the acute phase reaction, lipid metabolism is significantly altered in patients with unstable coronary syndromes. The clinical relevance and the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are discussed in this article. Cholesterol reduction takes place in the first hours of an acute coronary event; thus, plasma levels determined at this point should be interpreted with caution. This reduction may be just a consequence of the inflammatory response, or it may be also related to an increase in cellular uptake of cholesterol for tissue repair and hormonal synthesis. A synergistic effect between this predisposition to cholesterol reduction and statin therapy appears to exist during acute coronary syndromes. Triglyceride changes are variable during acute coronary syndromes, and recent data indicate that the pattern of triglyceride variation is a potential risk marker in those patients, possibly because it reflects neurohumoral changes related to the acute phase.

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 Dr.
Andrei C SpósitoM.D. Ph.D. 

Director, Department of Cardiology, Instituto do Coração (InCor-DF)-Fundação Zerbini

Estrada do Contorno do Bosque-Cruzeiro Novo, Brasília

DF, Brazil, 70685.700

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