Elevated white blood cell count, CRP and fibrinogen levels are not associated with increased anti-endothelial and anti-ox-LDL antibody, MCP-1, and RANTES levels in early onset occlusive carotid artery disease.
BACKGROUND
Inflammatory processes have importance in atherosclerosis. We evaluated if subjects below 55 years of age with occlusive carotid artery disease have higher serum levels of antibodies against oxidized LDL and endothelial cells and the chemokines MCP-1 and RANTES than age matched subjects without atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
Sixty patients with occlusive carotid artery disease (stenosis or occlusion) and 30 age-matched controls participated in the study. We measured the degree of carotid artery stenosis and intima-media thickness (IMT) by duplex ultrasound. White blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in patients (means+/-SD: 7.5+/-1.8 vs. 6.1+/-1.1 G/L, p<0.001; 7.7+/-20.7 vs. 2.5+/-1.9 mg/L, p=0.015; and 3.7+/-0.9 vs. 3.1+/-0.5 g/L, p<0.001, respectively). Antibody levels against oxidized LDL and endothelial cells (21.1+/-22.9 and 19.9+/-15.3 EU/mL, p=0.6; and 19+/-15 vs. 20+/-9 U/mL, p=0.07) and RANTES and MCP-1 levels (72.4+/-32.3 vs. 73.8+/-27.3 ng/mL, p=0.7; and 468+/-1041 vs. 318+/-131 pg/mL, p=0.7) did not differ significantly between patients and controls and did not correlate with IMT.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher levels of WBC, CRP, and fibrinogen suggest an ongoing inflammation in early-onset carotid atherosclerosis, but increased IMT is not associated by the elevation of serum levels of chemokines and antibodies evaluated in this study.
Magyar
Mária Tünde
MT
Department of Neurology, University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center, Debrecen, Hungary.
Bereczki
Dániel
D
Csípo
István
I
Gyimesi
Edit
E
Csiba
László
L
Valikovics
Attila
A
Balla
József
J
Sipka
Sándor
S
D017668:Age of Onset; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood*; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged
D000906:Antibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein