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Sex differences in the relationship between inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers and metabolic syndrome: British

A R Rudnicka1, A Rumley, P H Whincup

  • 1Division of Population Health Sciences and Education, St George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK. arudnick@sgul.ac.uk

Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis : JTH
|November 22, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Biomarker associations with metabolic syndrome are stronger in women than men, particularly for C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). These findings highlight important sex differences in cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular disease research
  • Metabolic syndrome studies
  • Biomarker analysis

Background:

  • Circulating biomarkers like C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, D-dimer, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and von Willebrand factor (VWF) are linked to coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • The relationship between these biomarkers and metabolic syndrome components in large, diverse populations remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sex-specific associations of key biomarkers with established coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors.
  • To investigate the relationship between these biomarkers, metabolic syndrome, and its components across sexes in a large cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of blood samples from 8302 individuals in the British 1958 birth cohort, focusing on 3457 men and 3464 women with complete data and no prior cardiovascular disease.
  • Multiple regression analyses were employed, adjusting for smoking, social class, alcohol consumption, and potential biomarker measurement errors.

Main Results:

  • Sex differences in biomarker levels (excluding VWF) varied with metabolic syndrome, its components, and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²).
  • Associations for CRP, fibrinogen, and t-PA with obesity markers, blood pressure, lipids, and metabolic syndrome were up to twice as strong in women.
  • D-dimer showed weaker, less sex-heterogeneous associations, while VWF associations did not differ significantly by sex.

Conclusions:

  • Associations between CRP, fibrinogen, t-PA, and metabolic syndrome components are significantly stronger in women compared to men.
  • Further research into the underlying reasons for these sex-based differences is crucial for understanding the pathophysiology of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Abstract

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