title: Inflammatory status and endothelial function in asymptomatic and symptomatic peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a predictor of cardiovascular risk. However, it is unknown whether PAD severity influences inflammatory status and endothelial function, which play a major role in atherosclerosis. Accordingly, we measured brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and plasma levels of several inflammatory markers in 15 control subjects, and 19 asymptomatic and 19 symptomatic PAD patients. Each symptomatic patient was matched to an asymptomatic patient for age, sex, risk factors, presence of cardiovascular disease, and pharmacological treatments. Asymptomatic patients had similar inflammatory profiles as controls, but lower median FMD (11.7% vs 8.5%, p < 0.01). Compared with asymptomatic patients, symptomatic patients had higher median C-reactive protein (1.5 mg/l vs 6.0 mg/l, p < 0.05) and interleukine-6 (1.5 pg/ml vs 3.5 pg/ml, p < 0.05), and lower FMD (8.5% vs 5.1%, p < 0.01). In the 38 PAD patients, the ankle/brachial pressure index correlated positively with FMD (p < 0.01), and negatively with C-reactive protein (p < 0.05), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p < 0.05) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (p < 0.05). Thus, in PAD, endothelial function and inflammatory status are related to the severity of the circulatory impairment. This finding may contribute to the explanation of the increasingly poor prognosis with increased PAD severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University Federico II, Naples. Italy. antoniosilvestro@libero.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silvestro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scopacasa
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruocco
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schiano
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zincarelli
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brevetti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein