Plasma concentration of heat shock protein 27 and risk of cardiovascular disease: a prospective, nested case-control study.
BACKGROUND
Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) has been hypothesized to be a potential biomarker of atherothrombosis. However, no prospective studies have yet been performed to investigate the association between HSP27 plasma concentration and incident cardiovascular events among initially healthy individuals.


METHODS
We evaluated plasma concentrations of HSP27 at baseline among 255 initially healthy participants in the Women's Health Study who subsequently developed myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or cardiovascular death during a follow-up period of up to 5.9 years and among an equal number of women matched for age and smoking but who remained free of cardiovascular disease over the same time period.


RESULTS
Overall, HSP27 plasma concentrations were inversely associated with age (Spearman correlation coefficient r = -0.258, P <0.001), but not with other established cardiovascular risk factors. Conditional logistic regression analysis showed no significant association of baseline HSP27 plasma concentration with future cardiovascular disease; the odds ratio for upper vs lower tertile of HSP27 concentration at baseline was 0.99 (95% CI 0.62-1.57, P for trend = 0.99).


CONCLUSIONS
In this prospective study of initially healthy women, baseline HSP27 plasma concentration was not associated with incident cardiovascular events.
Kardys
Isabella
I
Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 900 Commonwealth Avenue East, Boston, MA 02215, USA. i.kardys@erasmusmc.nl
Rifai
Nader
N
Meilhac
Olivier
O
Michel
Jean-Baptiste
JB
Martin-Ventura
Jose Luis
JL
Buring
Julie E
JE
Libby
Peter
P
Ridker
Paul M
PM
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk
D015415:Biomarkers; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins