Role of serum leptin in the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with stable angina

Background and objectives Leptin is a plasmatic peptide hormone that has been related to cardiovascular homeostasis and atherosclerosis but much is still unknown about its relationship with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of serum leptin in patients with stable angina and its relationship with the severity of coronary disease. Patients and methods 204 patients, 152 with stable angina (coronary artery disease group) and 52 without coronary disease excluded by cardiac computerized tomography (control group) were included. The coronary artery disease group was divided into 2 subgroups according to severity of coronary disease (single or multivessel disease, 46 and 106 patients, respectively). Serum leptin levels were determined by Enzyme-Linked InmunoSorbent Assay. Results Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with multivessel disease and were independently associated with a greater severity of coronary artery disease when compared with controls (OR 1.14; 95%CI: 1.03–1.27; p = 0.014) and with patients with single vessel disease (OR 1.12; 95%CI: 1.01–1.25; p = 0.036). Serum leptin was tested as a diagnostic marker of multivessel disease with an area under the curve obtained from Receiver Operating Characteristics of 0.6764 (95%CI 0.5765–0.7657). Conclusions Serum leptin levels were associated in patients with stable angina with the severity of coronary artery disease, suggesting its value in the development of coronary disease and as a future therapeutic target.