Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
The Relationship between Body Mass Index and the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Referred for
Anne B Gregory1, Kendra K Lester1, Deborah M Gregory1,2
1Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada A1B 3V6.
Insights
This study found no significant link between body mass index (BMI) and mortality risk in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Obesity and overweight categories did not predict higher all-cause or cardiac-specific mortality after adjustments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- The association between body mass index (BMI) and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains debated.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for patient risk stratification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between BMI and the angiographic severity of CAD.
- To determine if BMI influences 1-year all-cause and cardiac-specific mortality in CAD patients.
- To clarify the role of BMI in CAD prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Duke Jeopardy Score (DJS) on angiographic data from 8,079 adult CAD patients.
- Categorized patients into normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m²), and obese (≥30 kg/m²) BMI groups.
- Calculated multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for 1-year mortality.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of cardiac risk factors like diabetes and hypertension increased with higher BMI.
- Unadjusted mortality showed a trend with increasing DJS, but this was not universally consistent.
- After adjusting for confounders, no significant association was found between BMI and 1-year all-cause or cardiac-specific mortality.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find a significant association between BMI and 1-year mortality in CAD patients.
- Adjusting for confounding variables mitigated any apparent link between BMI categories and mortality outcomes.
- BMI alone may not be a sufficient predictor of mortality in established CAD.
Abstract:
Background and Aim. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and may be associated with more severe coronary artery disease (CAD); however, the relationship between body mass index [BMI (kg/m2)] and CAD severity is uncertain and debatable. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between BMI and angiographic severity of CAD. Methods. Duke Jeopardy Score (DJS), a prognostic tool predictive of 1-year mortality in CAD, was assigned to angiographic data of patients ≥18 years of age (N = 8,079). Patients were grouped into 3 BMI categories: normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2); and multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for 1-year all-cause and cardiac-specific mortality were calculated. Results. Cardiac risk factor prevalence (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia) significantly increased with increasing BMI. Unadjusted all-cause and cardiac-specific 1-year mortality tended to rise with incremental increases in DJS, with the exception of DJS 6 (p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, no significant association of BMI and all-cause (HR 0.70, 95% CI .48-1.02) or cardiac-specific (HR 1.11, 95% CI .64-1.92) mortality was found. Conclusions. This study failed to detect an association of BMI with 1-year all-cause or cardiac-specific mortality after adjustment for potential confounding variables.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:30Coronary Artery Disease III: Clinical Manifestations
01:26Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:27Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care