Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A myocardial infarction genetic risk score is associated with markers of carotid atherosclerosis.

Hamrefors, Viktor LU orcid ; Hedblad, Bo LU ; Engström, Gunnar LU ; Almgren, Peter LU ; Sjögren, Marketa LU and Melander, Olle LU orcid (2012) In Journal of Internal Medicine 271. p.271-281
Abstract
Objective: To assess whether a genetic risk score that was previously shown to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease is also associated with markers of carotid atherosclerosis. Design: A total of 4022 middle-aged subjects from the general Swedish population were genotyped and individually assigned a genetic risk score based on 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. The genetic score (Score-MI) was then related to carotid bulb intima-media thickness (IMT), common carotid artery IMT and to the occurrence of carotid plaques in the study population. Results: Score-MI was associated with IMT of the bulb (P<0.001) and the common... (More)
Objective: To assess whether a genetic risk score that was previously shown to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease is also associated with markers of carotid atherosclerosis. Design: A total of 4022 middle-aged subjects from the general Swedish population were genotyped and individually assigned a genetic risk score based on 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. The genetic score (Score-MI) was then related to carotid bulb intima-media thickness (IMT), common carotid artery IMT and to the occurrence of carotid plaques in the study population. Results: Score-MI was associated with IMT of the bulb (P<0.001) and the common carotid artery (P<0.001) in unadjusted analyses, and with IMT of the bulb after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P=0.003). The effect size of Score-MI on IMT of the bulb was similar to that of LDL cholesterol. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, Score-MI was also associated with the occurrence of carotid plaques (odds ratio per quintile of Score-MI=1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.18; P=0.001). In addition to SNPs with known effects on LDL levels, Score-MI showed nominal associations with increasing systolic blood pressure and decreasing C-reactive protein levels. Conclusions: This genetic risk score was independently associated with carotid bulb IMT and carotid plaques, providing evidence of an association with early markers of atherosclerosis. This might imply that the genetic myocardial infarction risk conferred by the score is related to early atherosclerosis and that the risk score may identify at an early stage candidates at risk of developing intermediate phenotypes of atherosclerosis. Further studies should test whether assessing the genetic score could be valuable for early treatment decisions in these subjects. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Internal Medicine
volume
271
pages
271 - 281
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000300836300008
  • pmid:22017383
  • scopus:84857627637
  • pmid:22017383
ISSN
1365-2796
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02472.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0565c582-9f60-4d2e-b682-52d69beb9399 (old id 2200298)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22017383?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:33:46
date last changed
2024-03-14 02:48:54
@article{0565c582-9f60-4d2e-b682-52d69beb9399,
  abstract     = {{Objective: To assess whether a genetic risk score that was previously shown to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease is also associated with markers of carotid atherosclerosis. Design: A total of 4022 middle-aged subjects from the general Swedish population were genotyped and individually assigned a genetic risk score based on 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. The genetic score (Score-MI) was then related to carotid bulb intima-media thickness (IMT), common carotid artery IMT and to the occurrence of carotid plaques in the study population. Results: Score-MI was associated with IMT of the bulb (P&lt;0.001) and the common carotid artery (P&lt;0.001) in unadjusted analyses, and with IMT of the bulb after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P=0.003). The effect size of Score-MI on IMT of the bulb was similar to that of LDL cholesterol. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, Score-MI was also associated with the occurrence of carotid plaques (odds ratio per quintile of Score-MI=1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.18; P=0.001). In addition to SNPs with known effects on LDL levels, Score-MI showed nominal associations with increasing systolic blood pressure and decreasing C-reactive protein levels. Conclusions: This genetic risk score was independently associated with carotid bulb IMT and carotid plaques, providing evidence of an association with early markers of atherosclerosis. This might imply that the genetic myocardial infarction risk conferred by the score is related to early atherosclerosis and that the risk score may identify at an early stage candidates at risk of developing intermediate phenotypes of atherosclerosis. Further studies should test whether assessing the genetic score could be valuable for early treatment decisions in these subjects.}},
  author       = {{Hamrefors, Viktor and Hedblad, Bo and Engström, Gunnar and Almgren, Peter and Sjögren, Marketa and Melander, Olle}},
  issn         = {{1365-2796}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{271--281}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Internal Medicine}},
  title        = {{A myocardial infarction genetic risk score is associated with markers of carotid atherosclerosis.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02472.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02472.x}},
  volume       = {{271}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}