Abstract 11601: Association Between Remnant Cholesterol and Coronary Plaque Features: The Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida

Introduction: Remnant particles, the product of partial metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, have been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), independent of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This study aims to further examine the role of remnant cholesterol (RC) in atherogenesis by assessing its association with plaque characteristics. Methods: After excluding individuals on statin therapy (n=527), we included 1,832 statin-naïve participants from the Miami Heart Study, a prospective cohort of clinical ASCVD-free individuals in Miami (2015-2018) evaluated using coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). RC was estimated as non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol minus LDL-C. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between low/high RC/LDL-C groups (defined by < or ≥ medians) and plaque features. Results: Mean age of participants was 52.5±6.7 years, 54% women, 49.5% Hispanic. Median LDL-C and RC were 129.1 and 21.6 mg/dL, respectively. For each SD increase in RC levels, the odds of having non-calcified coronary plaque increased (OR 1.19 [95% CI 1.07-1.33]) and so did the segmental involvement score (OR 1.05 [95% CI 1.01-1.09]) independent of traditional risk factors including LDL-C. The prevalence of coronary plaque features per RC/LDL-C group are shown in Table. Among those with low LDL-C, having high RC conferred a significantly higher risk of non-calcified plaque (OR 1.61 [95% CI 1.11-2.32]) compared to having low RC, although associations were not statistically significant with other plaque features (Table). Conclusions: In asymptomatic individuals with low LDL-C, elevated RC was independently associated with non-calcified plaque.