AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightChronic inflammation may be responsiblefor this increase along with atherogenic indices.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis by measuring epicardial fatthickness (EFT) and carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), evaluate low-level inflammation with high-sensitivity C-reactiveprotein (hsCRP), and evaluate whether there is a relationship among lipid profile, atherogenic indices, and hsCRP with thesesubclinical atherosclerosis markers in patients with celiac disease (CD).METHODS: After exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied, 31 patients with CD (24 female, mean age: 39.4±12.3 years)and 32 healthy controls (21 female, mean age: 39.5±4.4 years), totally 63 cases, were recruited. Subclinical atherosclerosiswas evaluated with EFT by transthoracic echocardiography and cIMT by ultrasonography. Inflammatory markers includingerythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), hsCRP, and lipid profile were recorded. Also, atherogenic indices were calculated:Castelli risk index I and II (TG/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c, respectively), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP; logarithm TG/HDL-c),non-HDL-c (TG-HDL-c), and atherogenic coefficient (AC; non-HDL-c/HDL-c).RESULTS: EFT was significantly higher in the CD group (0.49±0.10 vs. 0.49±0.09; p-value: 0.02). Although cIMT was higherin the patient group, it did not reach statistical significance (0.51±0.08, 0.47±0.08; p-value: 0.10). HDL cholesterol level wasfound to be significantly lower (42.0±8.8 vs. 50.0±13.7; p-value: 0.01), and the plasma atherogenic index was found to besignificantly higher in the patient group (0.98±0.50 vs. 0.62±0.64; p-value: 0.02). hsCRP (3.51±3.18 vs. 1.92±1.40; p-value:0.02) and ESR (17.2±12.8 with 9.7±3.1; p-value: 0.01) were found to be significantly higher in the CD group. Although therewas a significant positive correlation between EFT and hsCRP (r: 0.453; p-value: 0.01), there was a significant negativecorrelation between cIMT and HDL-cholesterol (−0.339; p-value: 0.05), and a significant positive correlation with the othercomponents of the atherogenic index was found.CONCLUSION: The risk of atherosclerosis has been increased in patients with CD. Chronic inflammation may be responsiblefor this increase along with atherogenic indices.