Table 3.
Association between IL-18 (tertiles) and cardiovascular risk factors in the MI control sample (n = 706).
| Low (95–324 pg/ml) n = 239 | Medium (325–450 pg/ml) n = 232 | High (451–2500 pg/ml) n = 235 | Trend p-valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic/questionnaire | ||||
| Age (years) | 70.70 | 70.97 | 70.82 | 0.801 |
| Male, n(%) | 143 (59.8) | 181 (78.0) | 188 (80.0) | <0.001 |
| Northern region, n(%)b | 103 (43.1) | 98 (42.2) | 90 (38.3) | 0.290 |
| Non-manual occupation, n(%)b | 114 (50.2) | 111 (49.6) | 98 (43.8) | 0.170 |
| Evidence of CVD, n(%) | 40 (16.7) | 35 (15.1) | 44 (18.7) | 0.566 |
| History of diabetes, n(%) | 18 (7.5) | 25 (10.8) | 32 (13.6) | 0.033 |
| 1–2 alcoholic drinks/day, n(%) | 94 (44.8) | 105 (48.2) | 102 (45.5) | 0.882 |
| Current smoker, n(%) | 26 (10.9) | 32 (13.8) | 36 (15.4) | 0.150 |
| Physical activity (inactive/occasional), n(%) | 131 (58.2) | 127 (56.2) | 139 (62.1) | 0.410 |
| Physical measurements | ||||
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2)c,e | 26.51 | 26.90 | 27.69 | 0.002 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm/Hg)c,d,e | 148.02 | 148.49 | 149.14 | 0.621 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm/Hg)c,d,e | 82.62 | 83.72 | 83.31 | 0.530 |
| FEV1 (L/min)c,e,g | 2.27 | 2.23 | 2.18 | 0.134 |
| Lipids/metabolic markers | ||||
| Total cholesterol (mMol/L) | 6.12 | 6.05 | 6.07 | 0.608 |
| HDL cholesterol (mMol/L) | 1.52 | 1.42 | 1.32 | <0.001 |
| Triglyceride (mMol/L)c,d,f | 1.44 | 1.57 | 1.75 | <0.001 |
| Insulin (mU/L)c,d,f | 7.18 | 8.01 | 9.36 | 0.094 |
| Glucose (mMol/L)c,d,f | 5.76 | 5.83 | 5.88 | 0.235 |
| Inflammatory and hemostatic markers | ||||
| C-Reactive Protein (mg/L)c,f | 1.59 | 1.74 | 2.01 | 0.024 |
| IL-6(pg/ml)c,d,f | 2.25 | 2.39 | 2.56 | 0.031 |
| Fibrinogen(g/L)c,d,f | 3.22 | 3.22 | 3.37 | 0.051 |
| White cell count (^109/L)c,d,f | 6.94 | 6.78 | 6.74 | 0.250 |
| Plasma viscosity (mPa s)c,d | 1.29 | 1.28 | 1.30 | 0.044 |
| Factor VIII (IU/dL)c | 142.04 | 142.18 | 144.99 | 0.338 |
| Fibrin D-dimer (ng/ml)c,f | 80.43 | 101.78 | 108.55 | <0.001 |
| Von Willebrand factor (IU/dL)c | 141.45 | 144.09 | 155.66 | 0.001 |
| t-PA (ng/ml)c,d | 9.83 | 10.18 | 10.95 | 0.002 |
a
Sample (n = 706) MI controls with IL-18 value. Trend test adjusted for age, gender, region of residence.
b
Reported in 1978–1980 (age 40–59 years) for men and in 1998–2000 (age 60–79 years) for women.
c
Adjusted for age at survey and region of residence (Scotland, North, Midlands and South).
d
Adjusted for time of day.
e
Adjusted for nurse number.
f
Geometric mean, p value from linear regression with ln(variable).
g
Adjusted for height squared.