Increased basal and alum-induced interleukin-6 levels in geriatric patients are associated with cardiovascular morbidity.
Low-grade systemic inflammation was suggested to participate to the decline of physiological functions and increased vulnerability encountered in older patients. Geriatric syndromes encompass various features such as functional dependence, polymorbidity, depression and malnutrition. There is a strong prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors and chronic cytomegalovirus infections in the geriatric population. As these underlying conditions were proposed to influence the inflammatory state, the aim of this study was to assess their potential contribution to the association of geriatric syndromes with inflammatory parameters.


METHODS
We recruited 100 subjects in the general population or hospitalized for chronic medical conditions (age, 23-96 years). We collected information on clinical status (medical history, ongoing comorbidities, treatments and geriatric scales), biological parameters (hematological tests, cytomegalovirus serology) and cytokines production (basal and alum-induced interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 levels). Using stepwise backward multivariate analyses, we defined which set of clinical and biological variables could be predictive for increased inflammatory markers.


RESULTS
We confirmed the age-associated increase of circulating IL-6 levels. In contrast to geriatric scales, we found history of cardiovascular diseases to be strongly associated for this parameter as for high IL-6 production upon ex vivo stimulation with alum.


CONCLUSIONS
Association between low-grade inflammation and geriatric conditions could be linked to underlying cardiovascular diseases.
Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Charleroi, Belgium.
Nathalie
N
Compté
Karim Zouaoui
KZ
Boudjeltia
Michel
M
Vanhaeverbeek
Sandra
S
De Breucker
Thierry
T
Pepersack
Joel
J
Tassignon
Anne
A
Trelcat
Stanislas
S
Goriely
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000534:Alum Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
D000534:Alum Compounds; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C041524:aluminum sulfate