Journal of internal medicine
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The heat shock proteins 60 and 70 (HSP60, HSP70) play an important role in cytoprotection. Under stress conditions they are released into the circulation and elicit an immune response. Anti-HSP60 and anti-HSP70 antibody levels have been associated with cardiovascular disease. Type 1 diabetes is associated with a greatly increased risk of micro- and macrovascular complications. Therefore, we investigated whether anti-HSP60 and anti-HSP70 antibody levels were associated with micro- and macrovascular complications in type 1 diabetic patients. ⋯ In this large cohort of type 1 diabetic subjects, we found an independent and inverse association between serum anti-HSP70 antibody levels and diabetic micro/macrovascular complications. This suggests that anti-HSP70 antibody levels may be a novel marker of protection from chronic diabetic complications.
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Myopathy is a known side effect of statins, but neurotoxicity is not. Two studies reported that statins and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) appear together more than expected amongst adverse events in overlapping surveillance databases. ⋯ There was no similar increase in ALS incidence. The initial signals of a strong association from drug surveillance systems should now be discounted, but not disregarded.
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To examine the relationship between cardiovascular fitness (VO(2)max) and abdominal obesity (waist circumference) and individual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, as well as a clustered risk factor profile, and to study the impact of gender, age and smoking on these relationships. ⋯ Higher fitness and lower waist circumference are each independently associated to a similar extent with a lower CVD risk. Simultaneous evaluation of both fitness and abdominal obesity status in clinical practice is important.
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Few studies have simultaneously analysed the influence of elevated serum uric acid (UA) on acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke (IS, HS) and congestive heart failure (CHF) in large healthy populations. We, here, examine UA as a risk factor for AMI, stroke and CHF by age and gender in the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) Study. ⋯ Already moderate levels of UA appear to be associated with an increased incidence of AMI, stroke and CHF in middle-aged subjects without prior cardiovascular disease. These associations seem to increase gradually from lower to higher levels of UA. UA may be an important complementary indicator of cardiovascular risk in the general population.