TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| CCS n = 30 | NSTE-ACS n = 74 | P value | |
| Age, mean ± SD | 69 ± 8.7 | 65 ± 12.9 | 0.131 |
| Gender, M/F | 22/8 | 54/20 | 0.970 |
| CV risk factors | |||
| Smoking (%) | 19 (63) | 46 (62) | 0.911 |
| Diabetes (%) | 15 (50) | 23 (33) | 0.069 |
| Hypertension (%) | 26 (87) | 55 (74) | 0.168 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 16 (53) | 38 (51) | 0.855 |
| Obesity (%) | 7 (23) | 12 (16) | 0.395 |
| Family history (%) | 9 (30) | 25 (34) | 0.782 |
| Previous history | |||
| ACS (%) | 8 (27) | 28 (38) | 0.359 |
| Previous PCI (%) | 8 (27) | 23 (31) | 0.299 |
| Previous CABG (%) | 0 (0) | 5 (7) | 0.320 |
| In-hospital management | |||
| LVEF ≥ 50% (%) | 23 (77) | 55 (74) | 0.999 |
| Multivessel disease (%) | 7 (23) | 29 (39) | 0.171 |
| PCI for the index event (%) CABG for the index event (%) | 20 (77) 5 (17) | 58 (7) 8 (11) | 0.220 0.510 |
| Medical therapy | |||
| DAPT (%)# | 10 (33) | 29 (39) | 0.944 |
| ASA (%) | 23 (77) | 44 (60) | 0.027 |
| Clopidogrel (%) | 10 (33) | 16 (22) | 0.146 |
| Prasugrel (%) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0.535 |
| Ticagrelor (%) | 0 | 15 (20) | 0.009 |
| Anticoagulants (%) | 0 | 5 (7) | 0.157 |
| Beta-Blockers (%) | 20 (67) | 41 (55) | 0.301 |
| Diuretics (%) | 5 (17) | 13 (17) | 0.981 |
| ACE-I (%) | 15 (50) | 30 (40) | 0.375 |
| ARBs (%) | 3 (10) | 20 (27) | 0.075 |
| Statins (%) | 21 (70) | 42 (57) | 0.086 |
| Calcium-channel blockers (%) | 6 (20) | 8 (11) | 0.166 |
| Nitrates (%) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0.535 |
| Insulin (%) | 5 (17) | 7 (9) | 0.232 |
| Oral antidiabetic (%) | 8 (27) | 15 (20) | 0.356 |
| Laboratory assay (mean ± SD) | |||
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 157 ± 41 | 158 ± 40 | 0.870 |
| LDL (mg/dL) | 91 ± 33 | 97 ± 34 | 0.620 |
| HDL (mg/dL) | 41 ± 9 | 41 ± 14 | 0.910 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 125 ± 44 | 130 ± 42 | 0.690 |
| Monocyte count (109/L) | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.146 |
| Monocyte count (%) | 6.5 ± 2.2 | 6.3 ± 1.7 | 0.685 |
| hs-CRP (mg/L) (median and IRQ) | 2.9 ± 12.6 | 10.5 ± 23.3 | 0.039 |
| Follow-up events | |||
| Recurrence of acute coronary events (%) | 6 (20) | 33 (45) | 0.019 |
| Cardiovascular death | 0 | 2 (3) | – |
| Non-fatal MI | 2 (7) | 14 (19) | – |
| Ischemia-driven revascularization | 4 (13) | 17 (23) | – |
#These data refer to the time of patient enrollment and blood withdrawal. At the time of coronary angiography all the NSTE-ACS patients were on DAPT according to current guidelines.
Recurrence of acute coronary events means occurrence of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization at 6–24 months of follow-up. Follow-up visits, consisting of physical examination, a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, and a treadmill stress test were performed every 6 months.
CCS, chronic coronary syndromes; NSTE-ACS, non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes; SD, standard deviation; M/F, male/female; CV, cardiovascular; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; DAPT, dual antiplatelet therapy; ASA, aspirin; ACE-I, Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ARBs, angiotensin II receptor blockers; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; hs-CRP, high sensitive C-reactive protein; IQR, interquartile range; MI, myocardial infarction.