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Association between CD 8 + T‐cell subsets and cardiovascular disease
Author(s) -
Kolbus D.,
Ljungcrantz I.,
Andersson L.,
Hedblad B.,
Fredrikson G. N.,
Björkbacka H.,
Nilsson J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/joim.12038
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , cd8 , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , immune system , stenosis , t cell , proportional hazards model , gastroenterology , pathology , immunology , confidence interval , biology , biochemistry , in vitro
Background The findings of experimental studies suggest that the immune system plays a key role in atherosclerosis, but the clinical importance of different immune cells in cardiovascular disease remains poorly characterized. In this study we investigated the association between CD 8 + T cells and carotid disease as well as development of cardiovascular disease events. Methods The study cohort comprised 700 subjects from the cardiovascular arm of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, obtained at the 1991–1994 baseline investigation and stored at −140 °C, were thawed and the different CD 8 + T‐cell populations analysed by flow cytometry. Baseline carotid intima–media thickness and stenosis were assessed by ultrasonography and clinical events were monitored through validated national registers. Results Subjects with a high fraction of CD 8 + T cells were characterized by decreased cytokine release from activated leucocytes, metabolic signs of insulin resistance and increased incidence of coronary events; hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the second and third tertiles of CD 8 + T cells were 2.57 (1.16, 5.67) and 2.61 (1.19, 5,71), respectively, in a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Correlations were found between the fraction of CD 8 + CD 25 + T cells and the degree of carotid stenosis ( r = 0.11, P < 0.01), and between the CD 8 + CD 56 − IFN ‐γ + T‐cell fraction and the degree of stenosis ( r = −0.18, P < 0.005). The association between CD 8 + CD 56 − IFN ‐γ + T cells and carotid stenosis remained significant after controlling for major cardiovascular disease risk factors. Conclusion This study provides prospective clinical evidence for a role of CD 8 + T cells in cardiovascular disease and suggests the existence of CD 8 + T‐cell subsets with different pathological functions.