title: Carotid intima media thickness and blood biomarkers of atherosclerosis in patients after stroke or myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test if circulating levels of markers of inflammation, endothelial function, and chronic infections, as well as association between these markers and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), depend on the stage of atherosclerosis expressed as a history of a major vascular event.
  
  
  METHODS
  The associations were analyzed separately in 75 healthy controls, 79 patients 3-6 months after the first-ever non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke (IS), and 37 patients 3-6 months after the first-ever myocardial infarction (MI). Data were collected prospectively in 2005. We measured high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), serum level of immune complexes (IC), and identified antibodies against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV), Cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia pneumonia, and Helicobacter pylori. Correlations with CIMT were determined using Pearson R and verified after adjustment for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and statin therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median ICAM-1 concentration was significantly lower in controls than in post-IS patients (188 μg/L vs 215 μg/L), and significantly lower in post-IS patients than in post-MI patients (215 μg/L vs 260 μg/L). Control patients also had significantly lower IC level (0.03 U/L) and HSV antibody index (6.0) compared to both post-IS (0.6 U/L, 9.6) and post-MI (0.4 U/L, 9.2) patients. CIMT was correlated with age (Pearson R=0.38, P=0.001) in the control group, immune complexes (R=0.26, P=0.023) in the post-IS group, and with hs-CRP (R=0.40, P=0.017) in the post-MI group. These correlations were confirmed using multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study supports linear correlations between CIMT and IC and hs-CRP levels. However, these associations seem to depend on the type of vascular burden.
authors.affiliation: Iwona Kurkowska-Jastrzebska, 2nd Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, ul. Sobieskiego 9, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland, ikurkowska@ipin.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kurkowska-Jastrzebska
authors.forename: Michał A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karlinski
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Błazejewska-Hyzorek
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sarzynska-Dlugosz
authors.forename: Krzysztof J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Filipiak
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Czlonkowska
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019040:E-Selectin; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D002097:C-Reactive Protein