title: Cardiovascular risk parameters in men with ankylosing spondylitis in comparison with non-inflammatory control subjects: relevance of systemic inflammation.
abstract: Men with AS (ankylosing spondylitis) are at elevated risk for CHD (coronary heart disease) but information on risk factors is sparse. We compared a range of conventional and novel risk factors in men with AS in comparison with healthy controls and, in particular, determined the influence of systemic inflammation. Twenty-seven men with confirmed AS and 19 controls matched for age were recruited. None of the men was taking lipid-lowering therapy. Risk factors inclusive of plasma lipids, IL-6 (interleukin-6), CRP (C-reactive protein), vWF (von Willebrand factor), fibrin D-dimer, ICAM-1 (intercellular cell-adhesion molecule-1) and fibrinogen were measured, and blood pressure and BMI (body mass index) were determined by standard techniques. A high proportion (70%) of men with AS were smokers compared with 37% of controls (P = 0.024). The AS patients also had a higher BMI. In analyses adjusted for BMI and smoking, men with AS had significantly higher IL-6 and CRP (approx. 9- and 6-fold elevated respectively; P < 0.001), fibrinogen (P = 0.013) and vWF (P = 0.008). Total cholesterol and HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were lower (P < 0.05 and P = 0.073 respectively) in AS and thus the ratio was not different. Pulse pressure was also significantly higher in AS (P = 0.007). Notably, adjustment for IL-6 and CRP levels rendered all case-control risk factor differences, except pulse pressure, non-significant. In accordance with this finding, IL-6 correlated positively (r = 0.74, P < 0.001) with fibrinogen, but negatively (r = -0.46, P = 0.016) with total cholesterol concentration. In conclusion, men with AS have perturbances in several CHD risk factors, which appear to be driven principally by systemic inflammatory mediators. Inflammation-driven atherogenesis potentially contributes to the excess CHD risk in AS.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Hiren
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Divecha
authors.forename: Naveed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sattar
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rumley
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.forename: Gordon D O
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sturrock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011674:Pulse; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015850:Interleukin-6; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol