title: Higher plasma thrombospondin-1 levels in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is associated with atherosclerosis in animals with diabetes mellitus (DM). But, no study has investigated the role of TSP-1 in human atherosclerosis. This study investigated the relationship among plasma TSP-1 concentration, DM, and coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved 374 consecutive subjects with suspected CAD, who had undergone coronary angiography to evaluate effort angina. Patients were divided into four groups as follows: DM(-) and CAD(-), DM(-) and CAD(+), DM(+) and CAD(-), and DM (+) and CAD(+).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that plasma TSP-1 levels were higher in patients with DM(+) and CAD(+) (n=103) than those in other patients (n=271) (p<0.01). A multivariate analysis showed that male gender {odds ratio (OR), 2.728; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.035-7.187}, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (OR, 0.925; 95% CI, 0.874-0.980), glycated hemoglobin (OR, 1.373; 95% CI, 1.037-1.817), and plasma TSP-1 (OR, 1.004; 95% CI, 1.000-1.008) levels were independently associated with the presence of CAD in patients with DM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma TSP-1 levels were higher in patients with DM(+) and CAD(+) than those in other patients, and plasma TSP-1 levels were independently associated with the presence of CAD in patients with DM. These findings show a possible link between human plasma TSP-1 concentration and CAD in patients with DM.
authors.affiliation: Departemnt of Cardiology, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Dong-Bin
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myung-Jun
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bum-June
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Seo-Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Sung-Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Eun-Joo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Tai-Ho
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Rho
authors.forename: Jae-Hyung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim