Serum estradiol and coronary artery disease

Serum estradiol levels were measured in 300 men undergoing coronary angiography. Among these men, there were no significant differences in the serum estradiol levels between patients with (mean, 26.4 pg/ml) and those without (mean, 30.9 pg/ml) angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease. There were no significant differences in any of the established coronary risk factors when patients were subdivided according to the presence or absence of coronary artery disease or according to the extent of disease. In addition, no significant correlation was noted between mean serum estradiol levels and the extent of coronary artery disease as classified by the number of obstructed coronary vessels. A matched-pairs analysis was carried out in which patients who had normal coronary arteries were matched with those who had coronary artery disease on the basis of age, cigarette smoking, prior history of myocardial infarction, and body mass index. The mean serum estradiol level in the patients with coronary artery disease was 28.7 pg/ml, and the mean estradiol level was 31.4 pg/ml for the matched patients with normal coronary arteries. In addition, when serial (three) estradiol determinations were carried out in 100 patients, no association was observed between degree of estradiol variability and the occurrence and/or extent of coronary artery disease. The results of this observational study fail to support an association between serum estradiol levels and the presence or degree of coronary artery disease in men as documented by coronary angiography.