title: The interleukin-6 gene promoter polymorphism -174 and atherosclerotic events in overweight transplanted patients.
abstract: Chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that combining overweight and a greater genetic capacity to produce IL-6 predicted by IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism at position -174 (G→C) may allow to identify individuals exhibiting higher IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations with a higher risk of atherosclerotic events (AE). The occurrence of AE was analyzed with respect to body mass index, IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism at position -174 (G→C), and other relevant risk factors, retrospectively, in 217 renal transplant recipients and, prospectively, in 132. Circulating IL-6 concentrations were closely related to BMI (r = 0.55, P = .0005). In overweight patients, serum IL-6 concentration was found to be significantly lower in C carriers than in GG patients (4.2 [1.0-5.1] versus 7.3 pg/mL [4.4-100]; P = .025). The incidence of AE was higher in overweight GG patients (29.5% versus 10.1%; P = .0003). In multivariate analysis, overweight-GG had an increased risk to develop AE (HR 2.96 [95% CI 1.09-8.04], P = .034 in the retrospective cohort, and HR 2.99 [95% CI 0.92-9.33], P = .069 in the prospective cohort). All these data are consistent with a role for both genetic and environmental determinants of inflammation (white adipose tissue mass) in the development of AE in renal transplanted patients.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR645, 25020 Besançon, France.
authors.forename: Jamal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bamoulid
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Courivaud
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deschamps
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaugler
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tiberghien
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chalopin
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saas
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ducloux