Association of Hemoglobin A1c level and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Diabetic Patients

To verify the association of hemoglobin A1c levels and the number of coronary stenosed arteries in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: Serum hemoglobin A1c level was investigated in diabetic patients who underwent coronary angiograms at Siriraj Hospital from October 2009 - February 2010. The level of hemoglobin A1c was compared to the results of the coronary angiogram. The number of coronary arteries with stenosis was determined by the detection of more than 70% stenosis in coronary arteries or major branches. Results: From 84 diabetic patients 42 were male and 42 were female with a mean age of 65 years. The mean hemoglobin A1c level was 7.6%. Twenty-one cases had non -significant coronary artery disease, 14 cases had single-coronary artery disease while the remaining 49 cases had multi-vessel coronary artery disease. Mean hemoglobin A1c from each group were 7.2%, 7.4% and 7.8% respectively, which did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The increased number of coronary arteries that had stenosis showed a tendency toward an association with increased levels of hemoglobin A1c. Keywords: Hemoglobin A1c, Coronary artery disease, Diabetes mellitus.