Heritability and correlates of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the Framingham Offspring Study.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine the clinical factors and heritability associated with inflammation measured as circulating levels of soluble-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in a community-based cohort.


BACKGROUND
Several prospective studies indicate that circulating sICAM-1 is predictive of future cardiovascular events. However, in some studies this predictive value is lost after multivariable adjustment for traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. We addressed the heritability of sICAM-1 and its relation to CVD risk factors in a community-based cohort.


METHODS
We examined 3,295 subjects from the Framingham Heart Study and measured sICAM-1 levels. We then used linear and stepwise multivariable regression to determine predictors or sICAM-1 levels.


RESULTS
In age- and gender-adjusted regression models, increased sICAM-1 levels were positively associated with age, total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose, diabetes, smoking, and prevalent CVD. In stepwise multivariable regression models, sICAM-1 levels remained associated with age, female gender, total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, BMI, blood glucose, smoking, and prevalent CVD. The residual heritability of sICAM-1 was 24%.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to prevalent CVD, established CVD risk factors and non-traditional ones such as BMI were associated with systemic inflammation as determined by sICAM-1 levels. There also is significant heritability of sICAM-1, which suggests a genetic component to systemic inflammation.
Keaney
John F
JF
Evans Memorial Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts 02118, USA. jkeaney@bu.edu
Massaro
Joseph M
JM
Larson
Martin G
MG
Vasan
Ramachandran S
RS
Wilson
Peter W F
PW
Lipinska
Izabella
I
Corey
Diane
D
Sutherland
Patrice
P
Vita
Joseph A
JA
Benjamin
Emelia J
EJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1