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Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight or obesity as atherosclerosis risk factors in patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected artery disease. Material and methods: 313 male subjects underwent coronary artery angiography. Body weight and height was obtained and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The plasma glucose, total cholesterol (TCh), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-Ch), triglycerides (TG) were measured. The level of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-Ch) and atherogenicity indexes such as TCh:HDL-Ch; TG:HDL-Ch; (TGxTCh):HDL-Ch were calculated. Results: One-vessel disease in 41 patients, two-vessel disease in 72 and three-vessel disease in 124 patients was found. In 122 patients no critical changes were found in coronary arteries and the remaining 54 had angiographically normal coronary arteries. There were no differences in BMI between the study group with changes in coronary arteries (259 pts) and the control group (54 pts). Other known risk factors for atherosclerosis were frequent in both groups (smoking in 43.8% pts, arterial hypertension in 73.8% and type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in 25.9% of patients was found). Conclusions: Obesity does not have a direct impact on atherosclerosis narrowing in coronary arteries but through coronary risk factors accompanying it. In patients with coronary artery disease obesity favors bigger progress of atherosclerotic changes and it is responsible for its unfavorable course. (Clin Exp Med Lett 2008; 49(2): 93-99)

Keywords: Obesity, BMI, Coronary Artery Disease