Prevalence of Coronary Artery Ectasia and its Association with Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Patients Undergoing Angiography at Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Cardiology, Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.

2 Student Research Committee, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.

3 Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.

4 Clinical Research Development Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

5 Neuroscience Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

Abstract

Introduction: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is an abnormal dilation of coronary arteries that can contribute to ischemia and adverse cardiac outcomes. Reported prevalence varies widely, and there is limited data available from western Iran. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CAE and assess its association with conventional cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 170 patients aged ≥18 years undergoing coronary angiography at Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital, Ilam (May 2024–May 2025), were evaluated. CAE was defined as a coronary segment ≥1.5 times the diameter of an adjacent normal segment. Demographic characteristics, clinical risk factors, and lipid profiles were compared between patients with and without CAE using t-tests, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression.
Results: The mean age was 60.6 ± 11.6 years, and 62.4% were male. CAE was observed in 21.8% of patients. The left anterior descending artery was most frequently affected (62.2%), followed by the circumflex (54.1%), right coronary (40.5%), and left main arteries (10.8%). No significant associations were found between CAE and diabetes, hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia, or opium use.
Conclusion: The prevalence of CAE in this population was higher than that reported internationally. The absence of significant links with traditional cardiovascular risk factors suggests distinct mechanisms, possibly inflammatory or genetic. Larger multicenter studies are needed to clarify the etiology and guide management strategies.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 1608-1613

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