Leptin-adiponectin ratio in pre-diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

The obesity-related hormones leptin and adiponectin are independently and oppositely associated with insulin resistance, which is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and restenosis after coronary intervention. In this report, we set out to determine the role of the leptin-adiponectin ratio (LAR) in non-diabetic patients with or without impaired glucose tolerance undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention.

300 PCI patients were enrolled in this prospective single-centre study. Patients with known diagnosis of diabetes (n = 50) and newly diagnosed diabetes (2h OGTT > 200 mg/dL, n = 25) were excluded. In both stable and acute subjects, assessment was done on the day of discharge and included a fasting glucose level, leptin, adiponectin and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

LAR was significantly higher in diabetic (7.2 ± 0.7) than in non-diabetic patients (3.9 ± 0.3, P = 0.001), and even higher in newly diagnosed diabetics (9.8 ± 1.5, P < 0.001). Likewise, among non-diabetic patients, LAR was significantly higher in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. LAR was significantly higher in pre-diabetic (4.57 ± 0.48) versus normoglycaemic patients (3.45 ± 0.33, P = 0.05). LAR was found to be numerically higher in pre-diabetic versus normoglycaemic patients with two- and three-vessel disease (VD), but not in patients with single VD. In pre-diabetic patients, LAR was found to be significantly increased with more advanced CAD (P = 0.021), independent of stable versus unstable presentation.

LAR is related to the extent of CAD in pre-diabetic patients but not in normoglycaemic patients. This finding might in part explain the poorer outcome in revascularized patients with impaired glucose tolerance compared to normoglycaemic patients.