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(Stroke. 2005;36:2577.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.
Original Contributions |
From the Departments of Neurology (B.I., G.L.) and Neuroradiology (G.T.), and the First Department of Internal Medicine (V.M., A.S., B.P.), Christian Doppler Klinik, Landeskliniken and Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Correspondence to Bernhard Iglseder, MD, Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Landeskliniken and Paracelsus Private Medical University, Ignaz-Harrer-Strasse 79, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria. E-mail b.iglseder{at}salk.at
| Abstract |
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Methods A total of 1515 middle-aged healthy white subjects (940 males and 575 females) were included. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and presence of atherosclerotic plaques were assessed by B-mode ultrasound.
Results After adjustment for established risk factors, per 1 µg/mL decrease in adiponectin CIMT increased on the average by 3.48 µm in males (95% CI, 1.23 to 5.73 µm) and by 2.39 µm in females (95% CI, 0.50 to 4.27 µm). After dichotomizing adiponectin levels at the median and adjustment for established risk factors, the mean difference of CIMT between subjects with low and high adiponectin levels was 20.42 µm in men (95% CI, 6.80 to 34.04; P=0.003) and 20.75 µm in women (95% CI, 1.08 to 40.42; P=0.039). No significant relationship was found between adiponectin levels and presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
Conclusion Our results demonstrate an independent negative association of adiponectin levels and CIMT, whereas no relationship with presence of atherosclerotic plaques was found, thus suggesting hypoadiponectinemia as a risk factor in the development of early atherosclerosis.
Key Words: adiponectin atherosclerosis carotid arteries intima-media thickness risk factors
| Introduction |
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from macrophages.3,4,6,7 Atheroprotective activity of adiponectin was demonstrated in animal models,8 and hypoadiponectinemia was found in patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease (CAD).9,10 Weight reduction increases adiponectin plasma concentrations.11 Hypoadiponectinemia <4 µg/mL was associated with a 2-fold increase in CAD prevalence in males, independent of established risk factors.9 Adipocytes from type 2 diabetics are resistant to insulin,12 suggesting reduced insulin sensitivity as a reason of diminished adiponectin levels. Moreover, decreased adiponectin expression could reflect the dysfunctional fat cell syndrome.13 These results suggest an association between dysregulation of adipocytokines caused by overnutrition and development of atherosclerosis. Whether decreased adiponectin levels are cause or consequence in atherogenesis has not been fully elucidated.14 In the present study, we investigated the association of plasma adiponectin levels with sonographic phenotypes of subclinical atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, which may represent different stages of the disease as well as common and distinct determinants.15 | Subjects and Methods |
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7 mmol/L or antidiabetic treatment. Twenty-fourhour ambulatory blood pressure measurement was performed in all participants (TM 2430 PC system; Bosch+Sohn). Means of daytime (7 AM to 10 PM) measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP-d) were used in the analyses. Abdominal adipose tissue areas were assessed by computed tomography (MX TWIN Picker CT; Marconi Medical Systems) as described.18 Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the study was approved by the local ethics committee.
Laboratory Data
Venous blood was collected after an overnight fast. Adiponectin was measured using the human adiponectin ELISA kit (BioCat GmbH). Total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fasting glucose, LDL size, insulin sensitivity (k-ITT), and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) were determined as described.17
Ultrasonography
Carotid artery B-mode ultrasound measurements (ATL HDI 3000 CV; Philips Medical Systems) were performed and read by a single experienced ultrasound operator blinded to clinical and laboratory characteristics. The protocol included multiple longitudinal and transverse imaging planes of the carotid arteries. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured end-diastolic according to the leading edge method for the near and far walls,19 and mean values of left and right arteries were used in the statistical analyses. The intraobserver variability of this method is low (<3% or <25 µm).20 Atherosclerotic plaque was defined as a focal structure encroaching into the arterial lumen of
0.5 mm or 50% of the surrounding CIMT value or by a thickness of
1.5 mm as measured from the media-adventitia interface to the intima-lumen interface.21
Statistics
All analyses were performed using SPSS 12.0 package (SPSS Inc). Characteristics of subjects are described as means and SDs (unless otherwise indicated) and compared using t tests. Associations between adiponectin levels and various risk factors were measured by Pearson correlation. The dependence of CIMT on the explanatory variables was analyzed using general linear model (GLM), the dependence of the presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaques on the explanatory variables by logistic regression. The effect size Eta2 was used to analyze individual associations of the variables with CIMT. GLM analysis was performed with adiponectin as a continuous covariate as well as dichotomized (high/low) at the median. All linear models were adjusted for age, blood pressure, LDL, BMI, and smoking. For additional risk factors (HDL, LDL size, triglycerides, diabetes mellitus, blood glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA index, k-ITT, and hs-CRP), a forward stepwise procedure (P in
0.05; P out
0.10) was used to choose those covariates that, in addition to the aforementioned risk factors, had significant effects on dependent variables.
| Results |
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For males, per 1 µg/mL decrease of adiponectin, CIMT increased on the average by 3.48 µm (95% CI, 1.23 to 5.73 µm). For females, a decrease of 1 µg/mL adiponectin increased CIMT on average by 2.39 µm (95% CI, 0.50 to 4.27 µm). Using the dichotomized adiponectin level (above/below the median [750 µm]) as explanatory variable and adjustment for age, SBP, LDL cholesterol, BMI, and smoking, the mean difference of CIMT between subjects with low and such with high adiponectin levels was 15.61 µm in men (SE 7.05; P=0.027; 95% CI, 1.77 to 29.45) and 17.02 µm in women (SE 10.21; P=0.096; 95% CI, 3.03 to 37.07). Removing BMI from the model resulted in a pronounced adiponectin effect: Mean CIMT difference increased to 20.42 µm in men (SE 6.94; P=0.003; 95% CI, 6.80 to 34.04) and to 20.75 µm in women (SE 10.01; P=0.039; 95% CI, 1.08 to 40.42). The Figure shows 95% CIs for mean adjusted CIMT (at 53 years of age; SBP 133 mm Hg and LDL 3.8 mmol/L) by adiponectin dichotomized at the median.
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Atherosclerotic plaques were observed in 355 (23.4%) subjects (209 men [22.2%], 146 women [25.4%], NS). For investigation of the association of adiponectin with atherosclerotic plaques, logistic regression analysis with the abovementioned explanatory variables was performed. Age, blood pressure (SBP-d), LDL, and triglycerides were significant predictors in males, whereas age, LDL, smoking, and diabetes proved significant in females. Adiponectin was far from significance in males and females.
| Discussion |
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Previously described associations of adiponectin levels and various markers for progression of atherosclerosis (insulin-resistant state28,29 and atherogenic lipoprotein profile29,30) are confirmed by our findings (Table 2).
The sex differences of plasma adiponectin concentrations in our population remained significant after adjustment for parameters of body fat (BMI and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue) and may be explained by the higher amount of visceral fat in men. A sex-based difference of adiponectin levels is supported by some30,31 but not all other studies.28 Animal and in vitro models suggest androgen-induced hypoadiponectinemia as connecting link between visceral fat, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis in men,30,31 whereas other studies reported similar adiponectin concentrations for men and women with comparable amounts of liver fat, which were clearly associated with visceral fat mass.32 The stronger impact of adiponectin on CIMT in men is consistent with data reporting an association of low adiponectin, CAD, and atherosclerosis almost exclusively in male populations.9,33,34 This finding may be explained by the significantly higher number of men with an adiponectin level <4 µg/mL, which was demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk for CAD prevalence,9 thus suggesting a threshold value for the atheroprotective effect of adiponectin. The main determinants of CIMT are age and SBP,15 and the impact of all other risk factors on CIMT is comparatively weak. The effect size of low adiponectin levels on CIMT is stronger than that of smoking in both sexes and stronger than the effect of LDL cholesterol in females. Thus, the results of our analyses strongly suggest low adiponectin as a risk factor for early atherosclerosis as reflected by CIMT. This effect is independent from the abovementioned relationships to obesity, glucose, and lipid metabolism. However, the cross-sectional design of our study warrants cautious interpretation of results, and further investigations are necessary to substantiate these findings.
| Acknowledgments |
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The Salzburg Atherosclerosis Prevention Program in subjects at High Individual Risk (SAPHIR) is supported by grants from the Medizinische Forschungsgesellschaft Salzburg and the Kamillo Eisner Foundation.
Received August 25, 2005; revision received September 19, 2005; accepted September 26, 2005.
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