CCL17 as an Inflammatory Biomarker Enhances Cardiovascular Risk Stratification: a Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular disease research
• Biomarker discovery
• Inflammation and immunology

Background:

• Inflammation is a significant factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Current risk models like China-PAR and PCE often fail to accurately identify intermediate-risk individuals.
• There is a need for improved cardiovascular risk assessment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential of the inflammatory chemokine CCL17 as a biomarker for cardiovascular risk prediction.
• To determine if incorporating CCL17 levels can enhance the accuracy of existing cardiovascular risk models.
• To assess the clinical utility of CCL17 in identifying high-risk individuals for cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study design utilizing the Shunyi Cohort (China) and the UK Biobank.
• Quantification of baseline CCL17 levels in participants.
• Tracking of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) during follow-up periods.

Main Results:

• Elevated CCL17 levels were independently associated with an increased risk of MACEs.
• Integration of CCL17 into existing risk models significantly improved risk prediction accuracy and reclassification, especially for intermediate-risk individuals.
• The Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI) indicated substantial predictive enhancement (15.1% in Shunyi; 3.0% in UK Biobank).

Conclusions:

• CCL17 demonstrates potential as a valuable biomarker for cardiovascular risk assessment.
• Incorporating CCL17 can refine current cardiovascular risk models, enabling earlier and more precise identification of high-risk individuals.
• CCL17 may facilitate precision prevention strategies by augmenting cardiovascular risk stratification.