title: Inflammation, homocysteine and carotid intima-media thickness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic renal patients. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is one of the most accurate markers of atherosclerosis risk. In this study, the authors set out to evaluate a population of chronic renal patients to determine which factors are associated with an increase in intima-media thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 56 patients (F=22, M=34), with a mean age of 68.6 years, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 15.8 ml/min (calculated by the MDRD equation). Various laboratory and inflammatory parameters (hsCRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) were evaluated. All subjects underwent measurement of internal carotid artery intima-media thickness by high-resolution real-time B-mode ultrasonography using a 10 MHz linear transducer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intima-media thickness was used as a dependent variable in a simple linear regression model, with the various laboratory parameters as independent variables. Only parameters showing a significant correlation with CIMT were evaluated in a multiple regression model: age (p=0.001), hemoglobin (p=00.3), logCRP (p=0.042), logIL-6 (p=0.004) and homocysteine (p=0.002). In the multiple regression model we found that age (p=0.001) and homocysteine (p=0.027) were independently correlated with CIMT. LogIL-6 did not reach statistical significance (p=0.057), probably due to the small population size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors conclude that age and homocysteine correlate with carotid intima-media thickness, and thus can be considered as markers/risk factors in chronic renal patients.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Distrital de Faro, Faro, Portugal. baptistalexandre@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alexandre P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.forename: Sanjiva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cacdocar
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Palmeiro
authors.forename: Marília
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faísca
authors.forename: Herménio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carrasqueira
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morgado
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabrita
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Idalécio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.forename: Veloso
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gome
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Neves
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine