title: Association of interleukin-6 with the progression of carotid atherosclerosis: a 9-year follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Limited information is available on the long-term effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on systemic atherosclerosis. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between chronic elevation of IL-6 and the long-term progression of carotid atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively evaluated 210 patients with ≥1 vascular risk factors for 9.0±1.0 years. Carotid mean-maximal intima-media thickness (mmIMT), the serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level, and the serum IL-6 level were measured at baseline and every 3 years. The associations between the progression of mmIMT and the long-term average levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Carotid mmIMT increased throughout the study period (0.031±0.026 mm/y). Baseline mmIMT was significantly associated with baseline hs-CRP (P=0.002) and baseline IL-6 (P<0.001) levels. Progression of mmIMT was positively correlated with average hs-CRP (P=0.001) and average IL-6 (P<0.001) levels. When adjusted for age, sex, traditional risk factors, and baseline mmIMT, mmIMT progression remained significantly associated only with the average IL-6 level (standardized β=0.17; P=0.02), but not with the average hs-CRP level (standardized β=0.10; P=0.18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic elevation of serum IL-6 was associated with the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with vascular risk factors. IL-6 could be used as a quantitative marker and a potential therapeutic target for accelerated atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.). s-okazaki@umin.ac.jp kkitagawa@nij.twmu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Shigetaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furukado
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamagami
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yagita
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.).
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (S.O., M.S., K.M., S.F., Y.Y., H.M.); Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan (H.Y.); and Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan (K.K.). s-okazaki@umin.ac.jp kkitagawa@nij.twmu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6
keywords: atherosclerosis; follow-up studies; inflammation; interleukins; risk factors