title: Association of systemic inflammatory activity with coronary and carotid atherosclerosis in the very elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the existence of association between plasma levels of pro- or anti-inflammatory mediators and atherosclerotic burden at coronary and carotid arteries in individuals aged of 80 or more years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy individuals aged between 80 and 102 years old (n = 178) underwent evaluation of plasma cytokines and acute phase proteins, intima-media thickness (IMT) and presence of plaques in carotid arteries by ultrasound and coronary artery calcification (CAC) by cardiac computed tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no association between CAC and carotid plaques (p = 0.8), maximum (p = 0.06) or mean IMT (p = 0.2). No association was found between the presence of carotid plaques and CRP (p = 0.4), TNF-α (p = 0.8) or IL-10 (p = 0.2). Likewise, individuals in the first three quartiles for CRP, TNF-α or IL-10 had similar values of CAC, mean and maximum IMT. In contrast, individuals above the 75th percentile for CRP or for TNF-α had enhanced maximum IMT (p = 0.017 and p < 0.0001) and CAC (p = 0.026 and p = 0.01) and subjects with IL-10 levels above the 75th percentile had lower maximum IMT (p = 0.027) and CAC (p = 0.006) as compared with those below this percentile. There was no difference in mean IMT for individuals above or below the 75th percentile for CRP, TNF-α or IL-10.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In very old individuals, CAC and maximum IMT were positively associated with systemic inflammatory activity only in those above the 75th percentile. The markers of atherosclerotic burden at coronary and carotid arteries were not related to each other and were distinctly associated with pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, suggesting that atherosclerosis development is different in these vascular beds.
authors.affiliation: University of Brasilia Medical School, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wladimir M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Luiz A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Quaglia
authors.forename: Simone N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Alexandre A S
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: André V T
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Japiassú
authors.forename: Vinicius
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boaventura
authors.forename: Edilberto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: dos Santos Barros
authors.forename: Cláudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Córdova
authors.forename: Otávio T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Nóbrega
authors.forename: Andrei C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sposito
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508609:IL10 protein, human; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D002097:C-Reactive Protein