Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a systemic multifocal illness called atherosclerosis that causes artery constriction and blockage. By causing cholesterol to build up in the artery wall, hypercholester Show more
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a systemic multifocal illness called atherosclerosis that causes artery constriction and blockage. By causing cholesterol to build up in the artery wall, hypercholesterolemia is a major factor in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic plaque development. Reverse cholesterol transport is the process of transporting cholesterol from the periphery back to the liver through cholesterol efflux mediated by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It was suggested that the cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), which is inversely linked with cardiovascular risk, can serve as a stand-in measure for reverse cholesterol transport. In this work, we sought to investigate a potential link between the peripheral plaque volume (PV) and CEC. Since lipid-lowering therapy interferes with CEC, we performed a cross-sectional study of 176 patients (48.9% females) with one cardiovascular risk factor or known CVD that did not currently take lipid-lowering medication. CEC was determined using cAMP-treated In our patients, we discovered an inverse relationship between high total PV and CEC ( In patients not receiving lipid-lowering treatment, CEC inversely correlates with peripheral atherosclerosis, supporting its role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Show less