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Age-adjusted level of circulating elastin as a cardiovascular risk factor in medical check-up individuals
Hiroyuki Yamanaka1, Motohisa Osaka, Morimasa Takayama
1aDepartment of First Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo bDepartment of Internal and Cardiovascular Medicine, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama cDiagnostic Department, Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Eisai Co., Ltd., Tsukuba, Japan.
Insights
Decreased circulating soluble elastin (CSE) levels, adjusted for age, may indicate future cardiovascular dysfunction. Lower CSE is linked to higher glucose, uric acid, and triglyceride levels in men, suggesting potential risk factors for conditions like diabetes and dyslipidemia.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Gerontology
Background:
- Circulating soluble elastin (CSE) levels correlate with atherosclerosis but are limited in diagnostic use due to age-related increases.
- Investigating CSE alterations in relation to cardiovascular dysfunction markers is crucial for early detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if changes in CSE concentrations are associated with potential cardiovascular dysfunctions in individuals undergoing medical check-ups, while accounting for age.
- To explore the relationship between CSE levels and standard physiological parameters indicative of cardiovascular health.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of CSE levels in 531 individuals (aged 20-89 years), with significant correlation noted between CSE and age.
- Categorization of male and female participants into subgroups based on higher or lower CSE levels relative to age-adjusted reference values.
Main Results:
- In men, lower age-adjusted CSE levels were significantly associated with elevated serum glucose, uric acid, and triglyceride levels.
- In women, most tested parameters showed no significant statistical difference between higher and lower CSE level groups.
- A declining ratio of CSE to age-adjusted reference levels in men strongly correlated with increased glucose, uric acid, and triglyceride levels.
Conclusions:
- Reduced age-adjusted CSE levels serve as a potential early indicator of cardiovascular dysfunction in individuals undergoing routine medical examinations.
- These findings suggest that decreased CSE may predict risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and diabetes.
Aims:
The level of circulating soluble elastin (CSE) is reported to increase proportionally with the degree of clinical atherosclerosis; however, its diagnostic use is limited because CSE also increases with age. We aimed to investigate whether alterations in CSE concentrations are implicated in potential cardiovascular dysfunctions (indicated by standard physiological parameters) in medical check-up individuals, taking age into consideration.
Methods:
In a total of 531 individuals (age 20-89 years), CSE levels were correlated most significantly with age. The groups of male and female individuals were each further divided into two subgroups: those with higher and those with lower CSE levels than the reference values determined by polynomial regression.
Results:
Male participants with lower CSE levels (n = 128) than the age-adjusted reference baseline levels showed higher serum glucose (P < 0.008), uric acid (P < 0.008) and triglyceride (P < 0.02) levels than those with higher CSE levels (n = 126). However, most of the parameters tested in female participants with lower CSE levels (n = 140) were statistically comparable to those with higher CSE levels (n = 137). The ratio of CSE level to the age-adjusted reference level was calculated in each of the male participants, and declines in the ratio were significantly correlated with increases of serum glucose, uric acid and triglyceride levels (P < 0.005, P < 0.02 and P < 0.006, respectively).
Conclusion:
The decrease in age-adjusted CSE levels is a potential indicator of eventual cardiovascular dysfunction in medical check-up individuals, as predicted by the risk factors dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia or diabetes.
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