We explored how eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid, might play a role in managing chest pain, particularly for those suffering from coronary spastic angina (CSA). In our study, we looked at 406 patients who underwent an ergonovine tolerance test during coronary angiography to diagnose CSA.
The patients were divided into two age groups: young individuals (65 years or younger) and elderly individuals (older than 66). We found that for younger patients who tested positive for CSA, their serum levels of EPA were significantly higher compared to those without CSA. Specifically, the levels of EPA were 64.3 μg/mL in the CSA-positive group versus 49.4 μg/mL in the CSA-negative group, and this difference was statistically significant. Furthermore, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels also followed a similar pattern.
However, the same pattern did not hold for the elderly group, where the levels of these fatty acids did not show a clear relationship with CSA. Through our multivariate analysis, it became clear that higher levels of EPA and DHA were independently associated with CSA in younger patients, suggesting that these fatty acids may be influential in the pathophysiology of chest pain linked to CSA for this demographic.
Overall, while we demonstrated some intriguing links between EPA levels and chest pain in younger individuals, we found that these associations do not translate similarly for older adults.