CYP2C19 activity and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with an acute coronary syndrome

CYP2C19 is a major isoform of cytochrome P450 that metabolizes a number of drugs and is involved in the glucocorticoids synthesis. CYP2C19 polymorphisms have been associated with the genetic risk for type 2 diabetes.

Five hundred and three patients with an acute coronary event were studied to assess the association between the CYP2C19 activity (CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3 and CYP2C19*17 variants) and the type of acute coronary syndrome, cardiovascular risk factors (arterial systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and smoking), analytical parameters and the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Genotype distribution in our series was similar to that expected in the Caucasian population. Among the traditional cardiovascular risk factors, very poor metabolizer patients (*2/*2, *3/*3 or *2/*3) had a greater tendency to present diabetes mellitus needing insuline (P=.067). Conversely, when we compared very poor, poor and normal metabolizers vs. rapid and ultrarapid metabolizers we found significant differences in those diabetic patients under insulin treatment (64 patients [18%] vs. 17 patients [11%]; P=.032). On the contrary, analytical parameters, systemic arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking or the personal/family history of coronary artery disease did not reach statistical significance regardless of CYP2C19 activity. Similarly, the number and the type of coronary disease (thrombotic, fibrotic or both) did not differ between patients with different CYP2C19 enzyme activity.

Patients with an acute coronary event and a very poor, poor and normal CYP2C19 metabolizer genotype have a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus needing insuline than patients with the rapid and ultrarapid metabolizers CPY2C19 genotype.