title: Association between neopterin and carotid intima-media thickness in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atherosclerotic lesions are heavily infiltrated by macrophages. Neopterin can be used as a marker of the activity of macrophages. Serum neopterin levels were elevated in non-renal patients with atherosclerosis. The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries in hemodialysis patients was significantly higher than in control subjects. In this study, we measured serum neopterin levels in hemodialysis patients and evaluated a possible correlation between neopterin levels and carotid IMT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven hemodialysis patients (26 male/11 female, mean age 47 +/- 15 years) and 12 healthy subjects (8 male/4 female, mean age 43 +/- 10 years) were included in this study. Serum neopterin levels were measured by using a commercial ELISA kit. Carotid IMT of the subjects were measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carotid IMT values were 1.04 +/- 0.29 and 0.77 +/- 0.25 mm in hemodialysis patients and healthy controls, respectively (p < 0.01). Serum neopterin levels were 110.9 +/- 19.1 and 3.8 +/- 2.3 ng/ml in hemodialysis patients and healthy controls, respectively (p < 0.01). Serum neopterin levels were 103.2 +/- 21.3 ng/ml in hemodialysis patients with IMT < 1 mm (n = 15), and 116.7 +/- 15.4 ng/ml in hemodialysis patients with IMT > or = 1 mm (n = 22) (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between serum neopterin levels and carotid IMT (p < 0.05, r = 0.363).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that neopterin could be associated with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.
authors: Department of Nephrology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Yasemin
authors: Y
authors: Erten
authors: M Akif
authors: MA
authors: Oztürk
authors: Suna
authors: S
authors: Oktar
authors: Hatice
authors: H
authors: Pasaoglu
authors: Kadriye Altok
authors: KA
authors: Reis
authors: Ulver
authors: U
authors: Derici
authors: Sehri
authors: S
authors: Elbeg
authors: Galip
authors: G
authors: Güz
authors: Musa
authors: M
authors: Bali
authors: Turgay
authors: T
authors: Arinsoy
authors: Sükrü
authors: S
authors: Sindel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D019798:Neopterin