SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF OMEGA-3-FATTY-ACIDS ON THE RADIAL ARTERY OF PATIENTS WITH CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

Long-term dietary omega-3 fatty acids improve coronary endothelial fun ction in CAD patients, heart transplant recipients and diabetics. This study assessed whether short term w-3 fatty acids affect radial arter y function in CAD patients. A high resolution A-mode echotracking devi ce (NIUS 02) was used to measure continuously, radial artery internal diameter at rest, during flow mediated vasodilation (FMD), during cold pressure test (CPT), and after sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). We studied 18 male CAD patients in a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled design. Between pre- and post-intervention measurements 24 h apart, nine subjects received 18 g fish oil concentrate (6.4 g eico sapentaenoic acid and 3.9 g docosahexaenoic acid) and nine subjects Is g placebo. In the placebo group correlation between both baseline dia meters was 0.98; P < 0.001. Pre-intervention FMD was 7.5 +/- 5.6%, CPT mediated vasoconstriction was 3.8 +/- 2.5%, and GTN induced vasodilat ion was 15.7 +/- 9.8%. Vascular responses post-intervention showed no significant difference to pre intervention, there was no significant d ifference between both treatment groups. The radial artery does not se em to be an immediate target for vasodilatory actions of w-3 fatty aci ds. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.