[Endothelial dysfunction and risk factors in coronary heart disease].

The subjects of the study were 64 patients with coronary heart disease, and 38 healthy individuals. In order to evaluate the degree of endothelial dysfunction (ED) reactive hyperemia test was performed; the degree of the relative increase of the brachial artery diameter, and the level of desquamated endothelial cells circulating in blood (CEC) were used as criteria of this dysfunction. Only in 6.5% of the controls signs of ED (endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (EDVD) less than 10% and the number of CEC being greater than 5 in the field of vision) was noted. In group II the signs of ED were registered in 40% of patients, in group III--in 59% of patients (p < 0.05). In patients with no standard risk factors or with only one of them, both tests revealed no signs of ED, while the presence of 4 or more risk factors lead to a 6-fold increase of the relative frequency of ED.