Association of interleukin-18 levels with global arterial function and early structural changes in men without cardiovascular disease.
BACKGROUND
Increased levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18) have been related to plaque progression and vulnerability and cardiovascular outcomes. Arterial functional and structural characteristics and endothelial/inflammatory activation are important determinants of cardiovascular performance and predictors of risk. We investigated whether IL-18 is a determinant of global arterial function and early structural changes in men.


METHODS
We evaluated arterial structural and functional characteristics (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), central aortic pressures, wave reflection indexes, flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, and common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT)) and we measured systemic inflammatory markers in 97 men (mean age 57.8 +/- 8.6 years) without manifest cardiovascular/atherosclerotic disease.


RESULTS
Multivariable analysis adjusting for age, mean pressure, other risk factors, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and treatment showed independent associations between IL-18 level and carotid-femoral PWV (P < 0.01) and IMT (P = 0.03). On the other hand, no relationship between IL-18 and flow-mediated dilation, central pressures or augmentation index (AIx) was found. The combination of higher IL-18 level with higher carotid-femoral PWV and carotid IMT values showed greater effect on 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event.


CONCLUSIONS
IL-18 level is independently associated with aortic stiffening and carotid early atherosclerosis. This finding underlines the important role of IL-18 as a marker of arterial damage, and implies a contribution of this compound to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease.
Vlachopoulos
Charalambos
C
Peripheral Vessels Unit, 1st Cardiology Department, Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. cvlachop@otenet.gr
Ioakeimidis
Nikolaos
N
Aznaouridis
Konstantinos
K
Bratsas
Athanasios
A
Baou
Katerina
K
Xaplanteris
Panagiotis
P
Lazaros
George
G
Stefanadis
Christodoulos
C
D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography
D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D020382:Interleukin-18; D002097:C-Reactive Protein