Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase level and peripheral arterial disease.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the association between increasing serum GGT levels and PAD in the US general population.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study among 3941 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002 participants aged >or=40 years. Main outcome-of-interest was PAD defined as ankle-brachial index <0.9 (n=219).


RESULTS
Overall, serum GGT levels were positively associated with PAD among men but not women (p-interaction=0.0421). Among men, the multivariable odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence intervals (CI)] comparing the highest quartile of serum GGT (>35U/L) to the lowest quartile (<16U/L) was 4.25 (1.65-10.94); p-trend=0.0008. Also the observed positive association between GGT quartiles and PAD among men was predominantly present among non-Hispanic whites and current nondrinkers (multivariable OR [95% CI] comparing the highest quartile of serum GGT to the lowest quartile was 10.59 [2.31-48.55]; p-trend=0.0104). In contrast among women, the multivariable OR (95% CI) comparing the highest quartile of serum GGT to the lowest quartile was 0.76 (0.41-1.41); p-trend=0.8308.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a positive association between serum GGT level and PAD among men, particularly non-Hispanic white and nondrinker men, but not among women. Future prospective studies are required to clarify the temporal nature of this relationship and to confirm the observed gender-specific nature of this association.
Department of Community, Occupational, and Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Block MD3, 16 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore. ashankar@nus.edu.sg
Anoop
A
Shankar
Jialiang
J
Li
Barbara E K
BE
Klein
F Javier
FJ
Nieto
Ronald
R
Klein
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase