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Soluble CD40L and cardiovascular risk in women

U Schönbeck1, N Varo, P Libby

  • 1Leducq Center for Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. uschoenbeck@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Circulation
|November 7, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Elevated soluble CD40L (sCD40L) levels in healthy women may predict future cardiovascular events like heart attack or stroke. This finding suggests sCD40L could be an early biomarker for vascular risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular disease research
  • Immunology and atherosclerosis

Background:

  • The CD40/CD40L signaling pathway is implicated in promoting atherosclerosis.
  • Elevated soluble CD40L (sCD40L) is observed in patients with unstable angina.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if elevated circulating sCD40L levels precede the onset of acute cardiovascular symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, nested case-control study involving healthy middle-aged women.
  • Measurement of baseline plasma sCD40L concentrations.
  • 4-year follow-up to identify cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular death).

Main Results:

  • Mean sCD40L concentrations were significantly higher in women who later experienced cardiovascular events compared to controls.
  • Women with sCD40L above the 95th percentile had a 3.3-fold increased risk of future cardiovascular events.
  • This association remained significant after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • High plasma sCD40L concentrations are associated with increased vascular risk in apparently healthy women.
  • sCD40L may serve as a potential predictive biomarker for cardiovascular events.
Abstract

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