Transforming growth factor beta 1 as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in end-stage renal disease patients...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the atherosclerotic changes in the carotid arteries expressed as common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) with Body Mass Index (BMI), serum lipid levels, and selected inflammatory state markers in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

The study included 67 patients (31 female and 36 male) on PD therapy for 30.4 +/- 24.2 months. Average age of the patients was 52.9 +/- 12.5 years (ranged from 19 to 75 years). The measurement of the CCA-IMT was performed by ultrasonography evaluation. BMI was calculated using the Quetelet formula. Serum lipid levels and hsCRP were performed using routine methods. IL-6, TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha, and hepatic growth factor (HGF) were tested with ELISA assays.

In univariate analysis, the strongest factor influencing CCA-IMT was age (R = 0.54; p < 0.0001). CCA-IMT correlated positively with BMI (R = 0.39; p = 0.003). Of the inflammatory markers studied, significant correlations with CCA-IMT were shown for IL-6 (R = 0.35; p = 0.009), and TGF-beta (R = 0.31; p = 0.02). In multiple regression, only In TGF-beta1 (partial correlation coefficient = 0.29; p = 0.04) appeared to predict CCA-IMT independently of age and BMI, while IL-6 was not significant in the analysis. The regression model including age, BMI and TGF-beta1 as independent variables, explained 43% of CCA-IMT variance. Again, age was the strongest predictor of CCA-IMT (partial correlation coefficient = 0.50).

Increased concentration of TGF-beta1 may be a biomarker of the development of cardiovascular diseases in patients treated with PD, as well as a prognostic factor in the evaluation of atherosclerosis progression in this group of patients.