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Hemostatic and inflammatory markers as risk factors for coronary disease in the elderly
1University of Vermont College of Medicine, Colchester, VT 05446, USA. russell.tracy@uvm.edu
Insights
Inflammation markers predict future cardiovascular disease risk, especially in elderly individuals. This association shows a time-dependent effect in older populations, unlike in younger people.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Inflammation Research
- Gerontology
Background:
- Atherothrombotic disease is closely linked to inflammation.
- Inflammatory markers are established predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, particularly in elderly men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between inflammatory markers and future cardiovascular disease risk in an elderly population.
- To explore the time-dependency of this association in different age groups.
- To examine the role of hemostatic markers in predicting CVD risk.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of inflammatory markers in relation to cardiovascular events.
- Assessment of time-to-event dependency for fatal events.
- Evaluation of hemostatic markers (coagulation and fibrinolytic factors) as risk predictors.
Main Results:
- Inflammatory markers strongly predict future CVD risk in elderly men and to some extent in elderly women.
- A time-to-event dependency for fatal events was observed in the elderly, but not as pronounced in younger individuals.
- Hemostatic markers associated with inflammation or coagulation activation also predict risk in older individuals.
Conclusions:
- Inflammation is a critical factor in atherothrombotic disease, with markers indicating significant future CVD risk in the elderly.
- The predictive value of inflammatory markers is time-dependent in older populations.
- While hemostatic markers play a role, ambient levels of coagulation/fibrinolytic factors show limited association with CVD risk.
Abstract:
Inflammation has been recognized as an integral component of atherothrombotic disease, and inflammatory markers are strongly related to future cardiovascular disease risk in elderly men, and to a certain extent in elderly women. The association is complicated by the prevalence of hormone replacement therapy among older women, and the variety of the underlying vascular disease. For fatal events, inflammation markers exhibit a time-to-event dependency in the elderly that has not been noted to the same degree in younger people. Hemostatic markers that represent inflammatory processes or coagulation activation also predict future risk in older individuals, but there is little evidence for associations between cardiovascular disease risk and ambient levels of coagulation or fibrinolytic factors.