This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 29/4/594    most recent ATVBAHA.108.178947v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jenny, N. S. Articles by Psaty, B. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jenny, N. S. Articles by Psaty, B. M. Related Collections Risk Factors Epidemiology

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2009;29:594.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Clinical and Population Studies

Associations of Pentraxin 3 With Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Death

The Cardiovascular Health Study

Nancy Swords Jenny; Alice M. Arnold; Lewis H. Kuller; Russell P. Tracy; Bruce M. Psaty

From the Departments of Pathology (N.S.J., R.P.T.) and Biochemistry (R.P.T.), University of Vermont, Burlington; the Department of Biostatistics (A.M.A.) and the Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Services, Cardiovascular Health Research Unit (B.M.P.), University of Washington, Seattle; the Department of Epidemiology (L.H.K.), University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pa; and the Center for Health Studies (B.M.P.), Group Health, Seattle, Wash.

Correspondence to Nancy Swords Jenny, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, 208 South Park Drive, 201B, Colchester, VT 05446. E-mail Nancy.Jenny{at}uvm.edu

Objective— We examined associations of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a vascular inflammation marker, with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause death.

Methods and Results— 1583 Cardiovascular Health Study participants free of prevalent CVD were included. Nonexclusive case groups were angina (n=476), myocardial infarction (MI; n=237), stroke (n=310), CVD death (n=282), and all-cause death (n=772). 535 participants had no events. PTX3 levels were higher in those with subclinical CVD (1.90±1.89 ng/mL) than those without (1.71±1.88 ng/mL; P=0.001). Using Cox regression adjusted for age, sex, and ethnicity, a standard deviation increase in PTX3 (1.89 ng/mL) was associated with CVD death (hazard ratio 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.21) and all-cause death (1.08; 1.02 to 1.15). PTX3 was not associated with angina (1.09; 0.98 to 1.20), MI (0.96; 0.81 to 1.12), or stroke (1.06; 0.95 to 1.18). Adding C-reactive protein (CRP) or CVD risk factors to the models had no significant effects on associations.

Conclusions— In these older adults, PTX3 was associated with CVD and all-cause death independent of CRP and CVD risk factors. PTX3 likely reflects different aspects of inflammation than CRP and may provide insight into vascular health in aging and chronic diseases of aging that lead to death.

We examined associations of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a specific marker of vascular inflammation, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause death in older adults. PTX3 was associated with CVD-related and all-cause death but not nonfatal CVD events. PTX3 may provide insight into vascular health in aging.

Key Words: cardiovascular diseases • epidemiology • inflammation • mortality • pentraxin 3