title: Plasma endothelin-1 and cardiovascular risk among young and healthy adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endothelial dysfunction is a major precursor of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to assess the interrelationships between plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels and cardiovascular risk among young and healthy individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a population-based study among 2160 healthy adults aged between 25 and 41 years in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Individuals with prevalent cardiovascular disease, diabetes or a body mass index >35 kg/m(2) were excluded. Plasma ET-1 was measured using a novel high-sensitive, single-molecule counting technology. The relationships between plasma levels of ET-1 and various cardiovascular risk factors were assessed by multivariable regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age of our population was 37 years. Median ET-1 levels across ET-1 quartiles were 1.86, 2.33, 2.76 and 3.48 pg/mL. After multivariable adjustment, there were significant correlations of ET-1 with systolic blood pressure (β per 1-unit increase in log transformed ET-1 2.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03; 3.58, p = 0.0004), C-reactive protein (β 0.19 (95% CI 0.03; 0.34, p = 0.021), glomerular filtration rate (β -1.73 (95% CI -3.17; -0.29, p = 0.019), and current smoking (Odds ratio 1.94 (95% CI 1.39; 2.71, p < 0.0001). We also found a highly significant association between ET-1 levels and overall cardiovascular risk estimated by the "Prospective Cardiovascular Münster" (PROCAM) and the Framingham score (β 0.18 (95% CI 0.06; 0.31, p = 0.004, and β 0.11 (95% CI 0.05; 0.16), p < 0.0001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma ET-1 levels are easily measurable in healthy adults and correlate with major cardiovascular risk factors and global cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiology Division, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bossard
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pumpol
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Lely
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aeschbacher
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schoen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krisai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tschuenschen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Singulex, Inc., 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway Suite 200, Alameda, CA 94502, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Singulex, Inc., 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway Suite 200, Alameda, CA 94502, USA.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Estis
authors.affiliation: Labormedizinisches Zentrum Dr. Risch, Schaan, FL, Switzerland; Division of Laboratory Medicine, Kantonsspital Graubünden, Chur, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.affiliation: Labormedizinisches Zentrum Dr. Risch, Schaan, FL, Switzerland; Division of Clinical Biochemistry, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria; Private University, Triesen, FL, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Risch
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: david.conen@usb.ch.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008015:Liechtenstein; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013599:Systole; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1
keywords: Blood pressure; Cardiovascular risk factors; Endothelin-1; Epidemiology; Inflammation; Population based