Sphingomyelin in erythrocyte membranes increases the total cholesterol content of erythrocyte membranes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the sphingomyelin content of erythrocyte membranes (SEM) is changed in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and determine the correlation between SEM and the total cholesterol content of erythrocyte membranes (CEM). METHODS: The SEM and CEM levels were measured in 354 patients undergoing coronary artery angiography in three different groups ACS patients (n=199), patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) (n=82), and controls (n=73). RESULTS: The SEM levels in the ACS group were significantly higher than those of the SAP group. The SEM levels were correlated positively with the CEM levels in patients with coronary artery disease. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that patients with higher levels of both SEM and CEM had an 8.569-fold greater risk of developing ACS than other patients, after adjusting for all potential confounding variables. CONCLUSION: Elevated SEM and CEM levels showed both independent and combined correlations with the occurrence of ACS and were positively correlated with each other in patients with coronary artery disease. These data suggest that the increased levels of SEM may play a role in the progression to plaque instability in ACS and may be the mechanisms underlying elevated levels of CEM in patients with ACS.