title: Subclinical atherosclerosis and fetuin-A plasma levels in essential hypertensive patients.
abstract: The intima-media thickness (IMT) is considered as a surrogate marker for atherosclerotic disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship of carotid IMT with fetuin-A in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and normal renal function. The plasma levels of fetuin-A, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the biomarker of oxidative stress 8-iso-PGF2alpha were assayed in samples from 105 untreated EH patients. Carotid IMT measurements were also performed. EH was studied overall and after dividing in EH with IMT ≥ and <0.9 mm. All of the biomarkers were significantly different between the two subgroups, in particular, the fetuin-A level was lower in the patients with an IMT ≥0.9 mm. In the overall group, the linear analysis of correlation demonstrated that the IMT was significantly inversely correlated with the fetuin-A level (r=-0.40, P<0.0001) and directly with TNF-α (r=0.39, P<0.0001), IL-6 (r=0.38, P<0.0001) and 8-iso-PGF2alpha (r=0.356, P<0.0003). The multiple regression analysis performed that assigned IMT as a dependent variable showed that fetuin-A (β=-0.268, P<0.0001) was independently correlated with the IMT. Receiver-operator curves demonstrated that fetuin-A levels have a predictive power of IMT>0.9 mm (AUC (area under the curve) 0.738, P<0.0001). Our results suggest that in EH, fetuin-A is associated with the IMT independently of oxidative stress and renal function, thus predicting increases in the IMT.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Unit, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialistica (DIMIS)-University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guarneri
authors.forename: Calogero
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geraci
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Incalcaterra
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arsena
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mulè
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
authors.forename: Clelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luna
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerasola
authors.forename: Santina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cottone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007668:Kidney / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D060749:alpha-2-HS-Glycoprotein; C075750:8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha; D015237:Dinoprost