Abstract
Objective
This study was performed to investigate the relationship between the serum cystatin C (Cys C) level and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients of advanced age.
Methods
The study included 184 patients with ACS and 46 healthy control subjects. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 14.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
Results
The serum Cys C level was significantly higher in patients with than without ACS (1.24 ± 0.30 vs. 1.42 ± 0.46 mg/L, respectively). Patients with more stenotic coronary arteries were significantly more likely to have higher median serum Cys C and creatinine levels and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the serum Cys C level was independently associated with the presence of ACS and the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries after adjustment for confounding factors. Additionally, the serum Cys C level was positively correlated with age, the creatinine level, and the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level in all patients but was negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate.
Conclusion
A high serum Cys C level was independently associated with ACS and the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries in patients of advanced age regardless of renal function.
Keywords
Introduction
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. 1 Patients of advanced age constitute a large proportion of patients presenting with ACS. 2 In the United States, the median age at ACS presentation is 68 years (interquartile range, 56–79 years). 3 As the population grows older, especially in developing countries, increasing numbers of advanced-age patients present with ACS. However, patients of advanced age with ACS are more likely to have more comorbidities including chronic heart failure, arrhythmia, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and renal insufficiency. 2 The typical symptoms of angina are not always observed in patients with such conditions; additionally, the diagnostic specificity of cardiac troponins may be decreased. Therefore, early diagnosis and evaluation of the severity of ACS is sometimes difficult in older patients.
Cystatin C (Cys C) is a cysteine protease inhibitor produced by nearly all human cells and excreted into the bloodstream. With a low molecular weight of 13 kD, the protein is freely filtered by the renal glomerulus and then metabolized by the proximal tubule. 4 Compared with creatinine, Cys C may have a particular advantage for diagnosis in patients of advanced age because its level in the blood does not seem to be influenced by age, sex, race, or muscle mass.5,6 The results of several cardiovascular health studies have demonstrated that Cys C has a much stronger and more linear association with the risk of mortality than does creatinine or creatinine-based estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).4,6–8 Moreover, some evidence has suggested that Cys C can be influenced by inflammation and may be intricately involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.9,10 All of these properties may render Cys C a potential biomarker in the early diagnosis of ACS and evaluation of its severity in patients of advanced age.
However, few data exist on the relationship between the serum Cys C level and ACS in patients of advanced age with or without chronic renal insufficiency. This study was performed to examine whether the serum Cys C level is associated with ACS and the number of stenotic coronary arteries in patients of advanced age regardless of the presence of renal insufficiency.
Methods
Patient population and study design
Patients of advanced age with suspected ACS who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography at North Huashan Hospital of Fudan University from January 2016 to December 2017 were enrolled in this study. After coronary angiography, the patients were divided into two groups: those who had been diagnosed with ACS and those who had no coronary stenosis. To evaluate the severity of ACS, the patients were further divided into three subgroups according to the number of stenotic coronary arteries (the 1-, 2, and 3-vessel groups). We only enrolled patients aged >60 years. We collected blood samples from each patient and recorded their age, sex, medical history, number of stenotic coronary arteries, and other clinical information. The study was performed according to the guidelines of the declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the ethics committee of North Huashan Hospital of Fudan University. All patients participating in the study provided verbal informed consent.
Definition of ACS
All patients met the diagnostic criteria defined by 2014 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guideline for the management of patients with non-ST-segment elevation ACSs 3 and the 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guideline for the management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. 11
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria were fulfillment of the above-mentioned diagnostic criteria, age of >60 years, and coronary artery stenosis of ≥50% in at least one main coronary artery as confirmed by coronary angiography. Patients both with and without renal insufficiency were enrolled. The exclusion criteria were comorbid diseases including cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, myocarditis, acute cerebrovascular accident, acute infection, and advanced cancer and/or a medical history of a previous myocardial infarction, coronary stenting, and/or coronary bypass surgery.
Coronary angiography
The patients were evaluated by coronary angiography, and coronary artery disease was defined as visual stenosis of ≥50% in at least one of the three major coronary arteries. The left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery were examined to evaluate the number of stenotic coronary arteries and thus determine whether the patient had 0- to 3-vessel disease. Involvement of the left main trunk was evaluated as 2-vessel disease by itself. 12 The coronary angiography results were independently evaluated by two expert investigators.
Analysis of serum Cys C level
The concentration of serum Cys C was measured using a kit provided by Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industrial (Tokyo, Japan), and the level is expressed in units of mg/dL. 13 The reference value of Cys C is ≤1.0 mg/L. In all patients, the serum Cys C concentration was measured within 24 h after admission.
Other data collection
The relevant data were collected from the patients’ medical records. The levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, serum creatinine, fasting blood glucose, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured by clinically approved assays on the same platform. The estimated GFR (eGFR) was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine-cystatin C equation, which can be expressed as follows:
Statistical analysis
Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean or median [interquartile range], and categorical data are summarized as proportion and frequency as appropriate. If the parameters followed a normal distribution, the t-test was used to compare the differences between two groups. One-way analysis of variance was used when there were more than two groups; otherwise, the Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis H test were used, respectively. The categorical variables were compared using the
Results
Patient characteristics
All patient characteristics are shown in Table 1. In total, 230 patients who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. Among the 230 patients, 184 were diagnosed with ACS and 46 had no coronary stenosis. There were no significant differences in clinical features such as age, medical history, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level, and renal function as measured by the serum creatinine level and eGFR among the groups. The patients in both groups were of advanced age. Compared with the controls, the patients with ACS had a higher proportion of men (

Differences in serum Cys C level between participants with and without ACS. Cys C, cystatin C; ACS, acute coronary syndrome.
Baseline clinical characteristics in participants with and without ACS.
Data presented as mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range), or n (%). ACS, acute coronary syndrome; CHF, chronic heart failure; HBP, high blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide
To further analyze the severity of ACS, the 184 patients with ACS were divided into 3 subgroups (1-, 2-, and 3-vessel disease) according to the number of stenotic coronary arteries. As demonstrated in Table 2, significant differences were found in the serum Cys C concentration, creatinine concentration, and eGFR among these groups. Patients with more stenotic coronary arteries were likely to have a higher median serum Cys C concentration (

Differences in serum Cys C level among patients with acute coronary syndrome with different numbers of stenotic coronary arteries. Cys C, cystatin C.
Baseline clinical characteristics of participants according to the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries.
Data presented as mean ± standard deviation or n (%). ACS, acute coronary syndrome; CHF, chronic heart failure; HBP, high blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide
Multiple logistic regression analysis
We conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis to evaluate the potential predictors of ACS in the entire study population. As shown in Table 3, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the serum Cys C concentration was independently associated with ACS after adjustment for confounding factors (odds ratio [OR], 4.016; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.242–12.986;
Multivariate logistic regression analysis model for prediction of ACS.
ACS, acute coronary syndrome; CI, confidence interval; DM, diabetes mellitus; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
We further evaluated the potential predictors of the severity of ACS using multivariate logistic regression analysis. As shown in Table 4, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the serum Cys C concentration was independently associated with the number of stenotic coronary arteries after adjustment for confounding factors (age, sex, medical history, LDL-C concentration, creatinine concentration, and eGFR) (OR, 5.646; 95% CI, 1.250–25.508;
Multivariate logistic regression analysis model for prediction of the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries.
CI, confidence interval; CHF, chronic heart failure; HBP, high blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide.
Correlation analysis
As illustrated in Table 5 and Figure 3, the serum Cys C level was positively correlated with age and creatinine in all patients (r = 0.294,

(a) Correlation between serum levels of Cys C and creatinine. (b) Correlation between serum Cys C level and eGFR. Cys C, cystatin C; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate.
Correlations between serum cystatin C level and other parameters.
LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide
Discussion
In the present study, the serum Cys C level was significantly higher in advanced-age patients with ACS regardless of renal function. Furthermore, the number of stenotic coronary arteries was associated with the expression level of Cys C in serum. Moreover, the multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that an increased serum Cys C concentration could be an independent variable for ACS and the number of stenotic coronary arteries after adjustment. The data also showed that the serum Cys C concentration was significantly and positively correlated with the creatinine level but negatively correlated with the eGFR. Thus, measurement of the serum Cys C level could be useful for identifying individuals at risk of ACS and predicting the severity of ACS in patients of advanced age.
ACS is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and its prevalence increases with age.1,15 ACS is induced by the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque and subsequent luminal thrombosis. 16 The diagnostic approach to suspected ACS includes three major components: assessment of the clinical profile or symptoms, electrocardiographic examination, and measurement of cardiac biomarkers (especially troponins). However, these three evaluations can be difficult to perform in patients of advanced age, hindering the timely diagnosis of ACS. Cardiac troponins are significantly more often elevated in older patients in the absence of ACS because of impaired renal function, arrhythmias, and diastolic and/or systolic heart failure. Therefore, exploring a new potential biomarker to assist in the diagnosis of ACS in patients of advanced age is very important.
Cys C is an endogenous cysteine proteinase inhibitor produced by nucleated cells. Under conditions of ischemia and hypoxia, cardiomyocytes produce Cys C and release it into the blood. 17 Studies have demonstrated that a high Cys C concentration is directly related to both inflammation and atherosclerosis. 18 Therefore, this marker could be associated with the development and progression of atheroma plaques. 19 Because of its low molecular weight, Cys C is freely filtrated by the glomeruli and reabsorbed by the renal tubules and less strongly influenced by sex, age, and muscle mass. Therefore, Cys C has been proposed as an early and sensible marker of glomerular function and a better marker for detection of mild renal impairment. 20 Previous clinical studies have confirmed that Cys C is a predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with impaired renal function.21–23 In the current study, we assessed the association between Cys C and ACS in patients of advanced age regardless of their kidney function to avoid the well-known effect of overt renal insufficiency on coronary artery disease. Our study demonstrated that the serum level of Cys C, but not the serum creatinine level or eGFR, was independently associated with the presence of ACS, although the serum Cys C level was positively correlated with the creatinine level and negatively correlated with the eGFR.
In part, the results of this study are consistent with some previous studies that demonstrated that a high Cys C level is a risk factor for ACS (OR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.00029–1.004;
The present study has several limitations. First, the findings of this study only suggest an association between the serum Cys C level and ACS. Because of the limited sample sizes in the subgroups, we did not further explore the relationships between the serum Cys C level and the types of ACS (unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction). Second, angiographic information was limited to the number of stenotic coronary arteries. To ensure consistence with clinical practice worldwide, experienced angiographers assessed coronary stenosis by visual estimation rather than by quantitative evaluation. Third, this was a single-center study with a relatively small number of patients. The sample size should be increased to enhance the power of the statistical analysis. Thus, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm the results and to validate the clinical implication of serum Cys C as a diagnostic biomarker of ACS.
Conclusions
In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that a high serum Cys C level is independently associated with ACS and the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries in patients of advanced age regardless of renal function. Thus, serum Cys C may be a potential biomarker of ACS. Measurement of the serum Cys C level might be useful for identifying individuals at risk of ACS and predicting the quantity of stenotic coronary arteries in patients of advanced age.
Declaration of conflicting interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Footnotes
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
