Background: Relations of mediators of inflammation and hemostasis with preclinical atherosclerosis have been poorly analyzed. The aim of this study was to test potential associations of these blood markers with indicators of cardiovascular risk and atherosclerotic burden in asymptomatic, nonsmoking, hypercholesterolemic men.
Methods: A total of 87 men underwent cardiovascular risk assessment by means of 10-year Framingham risk calculation (median 9%) and atherosclerotic burden evaluation by means of ultrasonographic measurement of common carotid intima-media thickness and assessment of atherosclerotic plaques at three arterial sites (three-site plaques).
Results: Of the markers C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-10, factor VIIc, fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-activator, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), and von Willebrand factor, only sP-selectin was positively and independently associated with high Framingham risk score (>9%) (71.7 +/- 3.6 ng/mL, n = 33 v 59.6 +/- 2.8, n = 54; mean +/- SEM; P < .05) and with three-site plaques (75.4 +/- 5.7 ng/mL, n = 14 v 62.0 +/- 2.5, n = 73; P < .05). After adjustment for all of the above markers and for cardiovascular risk factors, odd ratios of having high Framingham risk and three-site plaques were 3.38 (1.43 to 10.21) and 5.23 (1.74 to 23.52) respectively, per 1-standard deviation increase in sP-selectin.
Conclusions: These results confirm that among several hemostasis and inflammation mediators, only sP-selectin blood level was associated with preclinical atherosclerosis. It might confer to sP-selectin measurement a clinical usefulness for detecting and managing high cardiovascular risk in primary prevention.