Byline: Parthasarathy. Padmanaban, Bishamber. Toora

Coronary artery disease is a common health problem worldwide, and some studies have pointed out the relationship between CAD and anemia. To diagnose anemia, the criteria is hemoglobin (Hb) <12 g/dL in women and <13 g/dL in men. Although anemia is pathophysiologically associated with myocardial ischemia, there are scarce data to substantiate it. It was a cross-sectional study with cases of stable coronary artery disease and healthy controls in Puducherry. Whole blood samples were collected from 50 cases and 50 controls in ethylenediaminetetraacetic tubes. Hemoglobin was estimated using automated hematology analyzer. Hemoglobin values of the cases and controls were compared using Student's t test. Hemoglobin values were found to be reduced significantly in cases compared with controls. P < 0.0001 (statistically significant). Almost all the cases were found to be anemic. Our study shows that hemoglobin might also play a significant role in pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. Further detailed studies may provide clues to boost this emerging biomarker.

Introduction

is critical for normal oxygen delivery to tissues; it is also present in erythrocytes in such high concentrations that it can alter red cell shape, deformability, and viscosity. Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. It is a decrease...