Risk factors for coronary artery disease progression: A retrospective cohort study of clinical and biochemical predictors

This study aimed to identify clinical and biochemical predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD) progression in patients undergoing routine cardiovascular evaluation. A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 183 patients with confirmed CAD (92 with progression and 91 without progression). Clinical data, echocardiographic parameters, and laboratory biomarkers were collected at baseline. CAD progression was assessed based on repeat coronary angiography after a follow-up period. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of CAD progression. The predictive accuracy of the model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve), and model fit was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Elevated interleukin-6 levels (OR = 3.051, 95% confidence interval: 1.164-7.999, P = .023) and triglycerides (approaching significance, odds ratio = 1.126, 95% confidence interval: 0.980-1.293, P = .093) were identified as key predictors of CAD progression. The final model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.701 and an acceptable fit (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: P = .078). Elevated interleukin-6 and triglycerides levels are significant or near-significant predictors of CAD progression. These findings suggest that inflammatory and lipid biomarkers play critical roles in disease progression and may serve as valuable targets for therapeutic interventions in high-risk patients.