Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, coronary atherosclerosis, and cardiac mortality

Aims To test whether the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is related to the extension of coronary atherosclerosis (ATS) and predicts cardiac mortality. Methods and results Hospital-based, retrospective observational (median follow up: 92 months) cohort study. In 1726 consecutive patients undergoing angiography, coronary ATS and subsequent mortality were related to ESR and to classical risk factors. Patients (n=269) undergoing angiography for reasons different from ischemic heart disease (IHD), served as control. ESR was progressively higher in the presence of 1, 2, or 3-vessel disease. Age-and sex-adjusted ESR was positively related to ATS both in univariate analysis (r=0.17, p18 and >23 mm/h, respectively) were compared with the remainder of the cohort, their age-and gender-adjusted odds ratio for cardiac mortality was 1.72 (CI=1.25-2.38, p=0.0008). This result held true, in men, also when using a full set of risk factors in a Cox model. Conclusions ESR is an independent correlate of coronary ATS and, in mate patients with probable IHD, a predictor of cardiac death. (C) 2003 The European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved