Circulating Retinol-Binding Protein 4 and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Elderly
- Erik Ingelsson, MD, PhD (erik.ingelsson{at}ki.se)1 and
- Lars Lind, MD, PhD2
- 1) Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 2) Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Abstract
Objective: We evaluated associations of serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) to subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Research Design and Methods: Subclinical CVD was measured with echocardiography, carotid artery ultrasound, brachial artery ultrasound and invasive forearm endothelial vasoreactivity in 1008 70-year old participants (50% women) of the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study.
Results: In analyses adjusted for multiple CVD risk factors, we observed inverse associations of RBP4 with carotid artery intima-media (β, −0.39; 95% confidence interval, −0.55, −0.22) and plaque (β, −0.33; 95% confidence interval, −0.60, −0.05) echogenicity (gray scale median).
Conclusions: Circulating RBP4 concentrations were inversely associated with intima-media and plaque echogenicity in carotid arteries. These findings imply that RBP4 could be involved in the development of atherosclerosis.
Footnotes
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- Received September 8, 2008.
- Accepted December 17, 2008.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
