The association of insulin-like growth factor-1 with severity of coronary artery disease

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has been identified as a valuable indicator for impaired glucose tolerance, and its relationship with the presence of coronary atherosclerosis has been also suggested. A few studies have assessed the relationship between IGF-1 level and severity of atherosclerosis. In the present study, the relationship between IGF-1 and coronary artery disease (CAD) was examined with particular attention to the association between this parameter and Gensini score as a good angiographic marker for determining extension and severity of CAD.

One hundred and seven patients with suspected CAD consecutively referred for selective coronary angiography at the Shafa Hospital in Kerman between April and September 2010 were prospectively enrolled. Total IGF-1 was measured using radioimmunoassay methods (Diagnostics Systems Laboratory, Iran). Selective coronary angiography was performed for all study patients and the Gensini score is computed by assigning a severity score to each coronary stenosis according to the degree of luminal narrowing and its importance based on location.

According to the Spearman correlation analysis, total IGF-I was directly correlated with Gensini score (Spearman's rho = 0.362, P = 0.041). Total IGF-I was slightly related to the number of involved coronary vessels (P = 0.058). Relation between age-adjusted and sex-adjusted mean total IGF-I levels with Gensini score remained significant (P = 0.046); however, the association between IGF-1 and the number of diseased vessels lost statistical significance after this adjustment.

IGF-1 appears as a positive indicator for severity of CAD assessed by the Gensini score, and thus its concentration may be an important indicator for assessing the extent of coronary artery involvement.