%0 Journal Article
%T Anti-Apolipoprotein A-1 IgG Levels Predict Coronary Artery Calcification in Obese but Otherwise Healthy Individuals
%A Alessandra Quercioli
%A Fabrizio Montecucco
%A Katia Galan
%A Osman Ratib
%A Pascale Roux-Lombard
%A Sabrina Pagano
%A Fran£¿ois Mach
%A Thomas H. Schindler
%A Nicolas Vuilleumier
%J Mediators of Inflammation
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/243158
%X We aimed at determining whether anti-apolipoprotein (apo) A-1 IgG levels are independent predictors of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and coronary endothelial dysfunction in obese and nonobese subjects without cardiovascular disease. 48 nonobese and 43 obese subjects were included. CAC score was measured by thorax scanner and defined by an Agatston score >£¿0. Coronary endothelial dysfunction was determined by measuring myocardial blood flow responses to cold pressor test (CPT) on PET/CT. Serum anti-apoA-1 IgG levels were measured by ELISA. Prevalence of coronary calcification was similar between the two study groups, but the prevalence of coronary endothelial dysfunction was higher in obese subjects. Anti-apoA-1 IgG levels and positivity rate were higher in obese than in nonobese individuals. CAC score was higher in anti-apoA-1 IgG positive subjects. ROC analyses indicated that anti-apoA-1 IgG levels were significant predictors of CAC£¿>£¿0, but not of coronary endothelial dysfunction with a negative predictive value of 94%. Anti-apoA-1 IgG positivity was associated with a 17-fold independent increased risk of CAC£¿>£¿0. In conclusion, those preliminary results indicate that anti-apoA-1 IgG autoantibodies are raised in obese subjects and independently predict the presence of coronary calcification in this population but not the presence of coronary endothelial dysfunction. 1. Introduction Despite significant progress related to evidence-based preventive and medical strategies, atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases still account for the majority of morbidity and mortality in Western countries [1, 2]. Cardiovascular risk stratification mostly relies on the assessment of the traditional cardiovascular risk factors, allowing clinicians to derive different cardiovascular risk stratification tools, such as the widespread Framingham risk score (FRS) [1¨C4]. Nevertheless, the FRS predictive accuracy for major adverse cardiovascular event occurrence has been shown to be suboptimal, especially for screening purpose [5¨C8], and prompted the medical community to improve current cardiovascular risk stratification strategies. Among emerging candidates, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring, using noncontrast computed tomography, has been shown to be a very promising screening tool to rule out both coronary artery disease and major adverse cardiovascular events in different populations, outperforming conventional cardiovascular risk stratification tools [9¨C13]. However, its widespread use as a screening tool is likely to be impeded by its financial costs and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2012/243158/