Atherosclerosis
-
The anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protective effects of statin for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are not clear. We tested the hypothesis that statin use is associated with reduced mortality and morbidity in SLE patients with hyperlipidemia. ⋯ Statin therapy in SLE patients with hyperlipidemia may reduce the risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease and ESRD. The effect of statins needs to be demonstrated in large prospective studies with long-term follow-up.
-
Carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) in human is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis with high heritability. Many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed in European and American populations, yet discovery efforts have been limited in Asians. ⋯ The study represents the first GWAS of association between SNPs and carotid IMT in an Asian population. We identified 2 novel loci associated with carotid IMT progression over 10 years.
-
Pregnancy exerts metabolic changes with increasing levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides as prominent features. Maternal hypercholesterolemia may thus contribute to an unfavorable in utero environment potentially influencing the susceptibility of adult cardiovascular disease in the offspring. We investigated the impact of maternal familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) on pre-treatment plasma lipids and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in non-statin treated FH children. ⋯ Maternal inheritance of FH was not associated with detectable long-term effects in the offspring's phenotype measured by adverse lipid profiles and increased CRP levels, whereas a LDL receptor negative mutation was associated with an unfavorably phenotype in FH offspring. Our findings do not support the fetal origin of adulthood disease hypothesis, while at the same time not excluding the hypothesis since other pathways leading to atherosclerosis may be involved.