title: Ethnic/racial differences in circulating markers of angiogenesis and their association with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine (a) whether ethnic/racial differences exist in circulating markers of angiogenesis (Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), soluble Tie-2 receptor (sTie-2) and Angiogenin) between South Asian (SA; from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh); Black African-Caribbean and White (W) ethnic groups, and (b) associations between these markers in stable cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 243 subjects (82 SA, 84 Black and 77 W) with symptomatic and clinically confirmed CVD (n=108), risk factor controls (with ≥ 1 cardiovascular risk factor, e.g. smoking, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, hypertension) and with ankle brachial pressure index >1) (n=64) and healthy controls free of CVD and risk factors (n=56). Angiogenic markers were measured by enzyme linked immunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In healthy controls, angiogenin was higher in SA and Black subjects, compared to Whites (p<0.05). sTie-2 correlated inversely with angiogenin (p=0.001), was higher in women (p=0.029) and was lower in smokers (p=0.007). Overall, age (p=0.001) was the only independent factor associated with angiopoietin-1. Angiogenin (p=0.01) and SBP (p=0.014) were both independently higher in the Black group compared to the White group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ethnic, racial, and demographic differences are evident in certain circulating markers of angiogenesis. With the exception of an effect of smoking on sTie-2, these differences are not influenced by the presence of other risk factors, nor the presence of stable cardiovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, City Hospital, Birmingham B18 7QH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Philip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Paramjit S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Blann
authors.forename: Balu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.forename: Gregory Y H
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Lip
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers