title: Endarterectomy patients with elevated levels of circulating IL-16 have fewer cardiovascular events during follow-up.
abstract: Increased interleukin 16 (IL-16) levels in carotid plaques have been associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events during follow-up in patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA). In the present study we aimed to determine whether high circulating levels of IL-16 also are associated with a decreased risk of CV events after CEA.
  
  
  
  Patients, who had their carotid plaques surgically removed (n=473), were followed for a mean follow-up time of 3.1years. Plasma levels of IL-16 the day before surgery were analyzed by proximity extension assay (PEA) and associated with the occurrence of CV events during follow-up (n=98).
  
  
  
  High levels of circulating IL-16 were independently associated with a decreased risk of CV events when comparing the highest versus the lowest IL-16 tertile (hazard ratio [HR] 0.47; 95% CI 0.27-0.81; P=0.007), as well as with CV deaths (HR 0.25; 95% CI 0.09-0.70; P=0.008).
  
  
  
  These present findings indicate an association between IL-16 and less clinical complications of atherosclerosis in a population with known advanced carotid disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. Electronic address: Caitriona.Gronberg@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Caitríona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grönberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Vascular Centre Malmö-Lund, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Asciutto
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunilla Nordin
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Department of Cardiology (Coronary Arteries), Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Björkbacka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019410:Interleukin-16 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D019410:Interleukin-16
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular events; Interleukin 16