title: The effects of metabolic syndrome versus infectious burden on inflammation, severity of coronary atherosclerosis, and major adverse cardiovascular events.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The clinical predictors of inflammation in atherosclerosis remain controversial. The objective of this study was to compare the associations of metabolic factors vs. infectious burden (IB) with inflammation, the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Coronary angiography with Gensini score was applied to assess the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in 568 patients with coronary artery disease. Metabolic syndrome (MS) score (0-5) was defined according to the modified criteria of National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. IB score (0-7) was defined as the number of seropositivities to several agents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IB score was not associated with plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration, Gensini score, or the risk of MACE. In contrast, MS score significantly correlated with both plasma CRP concentration and Gensini score (P < 0.001 for both). MS score and plasma CRP concentration were also significantly associated with the risk of MACE (hazard ratios 1.51, P < 0.001; and 1.90, P = 0.002, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with IB, metabolic abnormalities have a more prominent association with the degree of inflammation, the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, and the risk of MACE in patients with coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Dao-Fu
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jou-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jia-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Chih-Neng
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Fu-Tien
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Jiunn-Lee
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yi-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Kwan-Lih
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chuen-Den
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Yung-Zu
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Juey-Jen
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein