Combination of Serum Adiponectin Level and Metabolic Syndrome is Closely Associated with Coronary Artery Disease in Japanese Subjects with Good Glycemic Control

Objective Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and decreased adiponectin level have been reported to be clinically associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it has not been fully defined whether they are associated with the severity of CAD, independent of hyperglycemia. In the current study, we investigated the clinical relationship between serum adiponectin level and MetS, and its association with the severity of CAD in patients with good glycemic control. Patients and Methods In this study, we enrolled 97 subjects with an HbA1c concentration of <7.0% (5.5 +/- 0.6%), who underwent coronary angiography. We measured serum adiponectin levels and various metabolic variables, and assessed the severity of CAD by angiography. Results Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of MetS components was not correlated with adiponectin level, despite their significant correlation in the univariate analysis. Low adiponectin levels (<4.5 mu g/mL) or >= 3 of 5 MetS components showed significant association with the severity of CAD (adiponectin, p=0.002; MetS, p=0.049). The correlation of adiponectin levels (divided by tertiles or quartiles) with the severity of CAD was not significant after adjustment for age and gender. On the other hand, two models of combined scores from adiponectin levels and the number of MetS components showed a significant correlation with the severity of CAD even after adjustment for age and gender (model 1, p=0.023; model 2, p=0.018). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the combination of adiponectin levels and the number of MetS components is linked to the severity of CAD in subjects with good glycemic control.