Objective: Cystatin C (Cys C) has been proposed as a useful biomarker of early impaired kidney function and predictor of mortality risk. The present analysis is to investigate the association of serum Cystatin C with the severity of coronary artery lesions, Gensini score (GS) and the risk of CAD.Methods: 682 CAD patients (230 females, 452 males; mean age 62.6±10.7 years, range from 31 to 86 years) and 135 healthy controls (41 females, 94 males; mean age 58.0±10.3 years, range from 38 to 84 years) were recruited in the current study. ELISA was applied to measure serum Cystatin C levels. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and Gensini score were calculated. Results: Serum TC, LDL-C, UA, Cystatin C and HCY were significantly elevated in CAD patients compared to healthy controls. There were significant differences regarding to Cystatin C, eGFR and Gensini score among different type of CAD patients, of which AMI group had an elevated serum Cystatin C, LDL-C, HCY and Gensini score than the other two groups. When stratified by the quartiles of Cystatin C, we found that age, proportion of male patients and hypertension and diabetes, HCY and Gensini score were increased in Quartile fourth groups than in other quartile groups. Spearman's correlation test revealed positive relationship between Cystatin C, HCY and Gensini score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum Cystatin C level, presence of hypertension and diabetes, HCY, age and male were the risk factors for coronary artery lesions.Conclusions: In summary, our results suggested that Cystatin C is a promising clinical biomarker that provides complementary information to the established risk determinants. The serum Cystatin C level is strongly associated with Gensini score and could be used to evaluate the severity of coronary artery lesions.