Vnitr Lek 1997, 43(12):801-803

[Ischemic heart disease and bilirubin levels in a group of hospitalized patients].

J Icsó, D Nanová: Oddelenie dlhodobo chorých NsP sv. Barbory, Roznava.

During the last three years several papers were published, which found in large groups an inverse relationship between the bilirubin level and ischaemic heart disease. This relationship is typically U-shaped which means that with the rising bilirubin level the incidence of IHD declines but when the values are close to the upper normal range, the incidence of IHD rises again. This protective effect of bilirubin on the development of IHD is explained by the experimentally tested antioxidative action of bilirubin acting on LDL-cholesterol and thus inhibiting foam cell formation in the arterial wall. The authors decided to test this relationship in a group of their own 370 patients. They found that the relationship between the bilirubin level and IHD is U-shaped, however, that when the bilirubin levels are close to zero, the incidence of IHD is also low. The mean cholesterol levels did not correlate with the bilirubin level nor with the incidence of IHD. This phenomenon is interesting because it may in future open more comprehensive and more effective approaches to the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.