title: Relationships of differential leukocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations with carotid atherosclerosis in elderly men.
abstract: To examine the relationship between systemic immune status and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly men, differential leukocyte counts and lymphocyte subpopulations were measured in 557 apparently healthy Japanese men aged 60-75 years. Each individual also underwent high-resolution ultrasonography for measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid arteries. The increased numbers of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations, including memory T cells (CD4+CD45RO+T cells) and late-phase activated B cells (CD19+CD80+B cells) correlated significantly and positively with the mean IMT of the common carotid artery after adjustment for age, smoking, and other cardiovascular risk factors. The positive associations of CD19+CD80+B and CD4+CD45RO+ T cell counts with mean IMT were more evident among nonsmokers, hypertensives, and men with lower HDL-cholesterol levels. The present epidemiological study provided the evidence that alterations in lymphocyte subpopulations, in particular memory T cells and late-phase activated B cells concur with carotid atherosclerosis among free-living elderly men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken, Japan. tt9178@aol.com
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imano
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000276:immunology*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL