Increased transferase ratio is associated with adverse cardio-cerebral events in patients with unstable angina: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract

To investigate the prognostic role of the elevated aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio in patients with unstable angina (UA). In this observational study, all patients with UA undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention at our center from January 2019 to December 2020 were examined. Clinical presentations, laboratory parameters, and procedural characteristics were collected. The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCE), such as death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and target vessel revascularization. In total, 1123 eligible UA patients were enrolled in the present study (mean age 62.3 years; 54.5% of male). Patients in the upper tertile of the AST/ALT ratio were older, had more extensive coronary stenosis, and had poor nutritional status (P < .05). Meanwhile, the cumulative incidence of MACCE at 13 months of follow-up increased in a stepwise manner and across the tertile of the AST/ALT ratio, predominantly driven by target vessel revascularization (both log-rank P < .001). Importantly, the AST/ALT ratio was associated with MACCE in a multivariate analysis that was adjusted for potential covariates (hazard ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.48–1.99, P < .01). The optimal cutoff point of the AST/ALT ratio to predict MACCE was 1.29 (area under the curve 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.69–0.84, P < .001), with sensitivity and specificity of 77.5% and 65.1%, respectively. The increased AST/ALT ratio, especially when above 1.29, is associated with MACCE in patients with UA undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.