IgE predicts future nonfatal myocardial infarction in men.
Established risk factors cannot explain all the variance in coronary heart disease (CHD). Immunoglobin E (IgE), a mediator of allergy, can affect platelets and arterial smooth muscle. We previously demonstrated a cross-sectional association between IgE and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men. The present study evaluated this relationship prospectively in 278 men and 343 women followed for a mean of 8.9 years. There was an association between IgE and coronary disease in men, but not in women. There was no association for CVD, stroke, or all-cause mortality. The age-adjusted relative risk (RR) for coronary mortality in men with baseline IgE > or = 200 kU/L was 1.66 (p < or = 0.66), but for nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) it was 6.46 (p < or = 0.01). This association was independent of smoking and other risk factors, and unrelated to allergy. Thus, elevated IgE was a strong independent prospective risk factor for nonfatal, but not fatal, MI in men.
Langer
R D
RD
Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0607, USA.
Criqui
M H
MH
Feigelson
H S
HS
McCann
T J
TJ
Hamburger
R N
RN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
D007073:Immunoglobulin E