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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1995;15:665-668.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Association Between Circulating Immune Complexes, Complement C4 Null Alleles, and Myocardial Infarction Before Age 45 Years

Ann Kari Lefvert; Anders Hamsten; Göran Holm

From the Immunological Research Laboratory (A.K.L., G.H.), and the Atherosclerosis Research Unit (A.H.), King Gustaf V Research Institute, and the Department of Medicine (A.K.L., A.H., G.H.), Division of Haematology and Medical Immunology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Correspondence to Dr Ann Kari Lefvert, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract One hundred patients who had survived a myocardial infarction before the age of 45 years and 90 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were investigated for circulating immune complexes (CICs) and the presence of complement C4 null alleles (C4Q0). CICs were found in increased concentrations in 20% of patients and 6.7% of control subjects. Patients and control subjects had the same prevalence of C4Q0. CICs were present in all patients and in 36% of the control subjects homozygous for C4Q0. Patients and control subjects heterozygous for C4Q0 had CICs in 71% and 0%, respectively. The high prevalence and a high concentration of CICs were particularly associated with C4A*Q0. Patients homozygous for C4A*Q0 had concentrations of LDL that were lower than found in other patients. The increased concentration of CICs associated with genetic deficiencies of the complement factor C4 might thus be an additional etiological factor for the development of chronic vascular damage and premature myocardial infarction.

Key Words: myocardial infarction • immune complex disease • complement C4

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