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.
Shankar
Anoop
A
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
Li
Jialiang
J
Klein
Barbara E K
BE
Nieto
F Javier
FJ
Klein
Ronald
R
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