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Association between insulin-like growth factor-1 and cardiovascular events: a systematic review and dose-response
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Higher insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. This meta-analysis suggests IGF-1 is a helpful biomarker for predicting and preventing CV events.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Inconsistent findings link insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to cardiovascular (CV) events.
- A quantitative assessment through meta-analysis was lacking.
Approach:
- A meta-analysis of 11 cohort studies (22,995 participants, 3040 CV events) was conducted.
- Searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to December 1, 2020.
- Used fixed/random-effects models and restricted cubic splines for analysis.
Key Points:
- Higher IGF-1 levels correlated with a 16% reduction in overall CV events.
- A 28% reduction in CV event occurrence was observed with higher IGF-1.
- Linear associations found; each 45 μg/mL IGF-1 increase lowered CV event risk by 9%.
Conclusions:
- Increased IGF-1 levels are beneficial in reducing overall cardiovascular event risk.
- IGF-1 shows promise as a prognostic biomarker for cardiovascular event assessment and prevention.
Background:
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has increasingly been reported as linked to cardiovascular (CV) events; however, reported results have been inconsistent, and no meta-analysis has been undertaken to quantitatively assess this association.
Methods:
We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for cohort articles published up to December 1, 2020. Fixed or random-effects models were used to estimate the summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CV events in relation to IGF-1. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose-response association.
Results:
We identified 11 articles (thirteen cohort studies) covering a total of 22,995 participants and 3040 CV events in this meta-analysis. The risk of overall CV events reduced by 16% from the highest to the lowest IGF-1 levels (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.95), while the occurrence of CV events reduced by 28% (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.92), but not for CV deaths, however (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.65-1.55). We also found linear associations between IGF-1 levels and CV events. With each per 45 μg/mL IGF-1 increase, the pooled RRs were 0.91 (95% CI 0.86-0.96), 0.91 (95% CI 0.85-0.97) and 0.91 (95% CI 0.84-0.98) for overall CV events, for the occurrence of CV events, and for CV deaths, respectively.
Conclusions:
Our findings based on cohort studies support the contention that any increase in IGF-1 is helpful in reducing the overall risk of CV events. As an important biomarker for assessing the likelihood of CV events, IGF-1 appears to offer a promising prognostic approach for aiding prevention.
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