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Increased carotid plaque burden in men with the fibrillin‐1 2/3 genotype
Author(s) -
De Basso Rachel,
Hedblad Bo,
Carlson Joyce,
Persson Margaretha,
Östling Gerd,
Länne Toste
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1440-1681
pISSN - 0305-1870
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1681.12259
Subject(s) - medicine , stroke (engine) , genotype , myocardial infarction , blood pressure , incidence (geometry) , cardiology , common carotid artery , cohort , carotid arteries , biology , mechanical engineering , biochemistry , physics , optics , engineering , gene
Summary Fibrillin‐1 ( FBN 1) is an important constituent of the vascular wall and earlier studies have indicated an effect of the FBN 1 2/3 genotype on blood pressure as well as aortic stiffness in men. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the FBN 1 2/3 genotype was associated with the presence of carotid plaque and incident cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in middle‐aged subjects. The FBN 1 genotype was characterized in 5765 subjects (2424 men, 3341 women; age 45–69 years) recruited from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study Cardiovascular Cohort, Sweden. Plaque occurrence and intima–media thickness ( IMT ) of the carotid artery were assessed by ultrasound. The incidence of first cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction and stroke) and cause‐specific mortality were monitored over a mean follow‐up period of 13.2 years. The most common FBN 1 genotypes were 2/2, 2/3 and 2/4, which accounted for 92.2% ( n = 5317) of subjects. There were no differences between the three genotypes regarding age, blood pressure, glucose, lipids, smoking habits, common carotid artery diameter and intima–media thickness in men and women. The presence of plaque in the carotid artery was higher in men with the 2/3 genotype compared with the 2/2 and 2/4 genotypes (55% vs 46% and 50%, respectively; P = 0.007). No similar differences were observed in women. No significant relationship was observed between FBN 1 genotypes and the incidence of cardiovascular disease or all‐cause mortality. The increased prevalence of plaque in the carotid artery of middle‐aged men with the FBN 1 2/3 genotype indicates pathological arterial wall remodelling with a more pronounced atherosclerotic burden.