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Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty
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Human plasma complement C3 is independently associated with coronary heart disease, but only in heavy smokers (the

Marleen M J van Greevenbroek1, Marjon Jacobs, Carla J H van der Kallen

  • 1Laboratory of Metabolism and Vascular Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht and Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. m.vangreevenbroek@intmed.unimaas.nl

International Journal of Cardiology
|October 8, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Plasma complement C3 is linked to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but only in heavy smokers. This association persists even after accounting for other metabolic risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Immunology
  • Metabolic Syndrome Research

Background:

  • Complement C3 is an emerging risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • Elevated C3 levels are observed in metabolic syndrome.
  • Smoking may directly impact complement C3 structure and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between plasma C3 and prevalent CHD.
  • To examine if smoking behavior modifies the cardiovascular risk associated with plasma C3.

Main Methods:

  • The CODAM study population (n=562) was analyzed.
  • The association between plasma C3 and CHD was assessed.
  • Effect modification by smoking status was examined.

Main Results:

  • Higher plasma C3 levels correlated with increased CHD prevalence.
  • A significant interaction between C3 and heavy smoking was found (p=0.01).
  • In heavy smokers, C3 remained a significant independent predictor of CHD after adjusting for traditional and metabolic risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • Plasma complement C3 is associated with prevalent CHD.
  • This association is specific to heavy smokers.
  • The link between C3 and CHD in heavy smokers is independent of key metabolic risk factors.
Abstract

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