Prospective study of IL-18 and risk of MI and stroke in men and women aged 60-79 years: a nested case-control study.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

IL-18 is hypothesized to destabilise atherosclerotic plaques, leading to thrombotic events and epidemiologic studies suggest that IL-18 may increase risk of CHD or CVD. We examined prospective associations between levels of serum IL-18 and new CHD and stroke events in older men and women from a general population.

Methods

A case-control study was nested within a prospective cohort of men and women aged 60-79 years recruited from general practices in 25 British towns in 1998-2000 and followed-up for 7.5 years for fatal and non-fatal MI and stroke. Baseline IL-18 was measured in stored serum samples of incident cases of MI (n=364) or stroke (n=300) and two controls per case.

Results

Geometric mean IL-18 levels were higher among the 364 MI cases than the 706 controls

SUBMITTER: Jefferis BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3561593 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature