TY - JOUR
T1 - The number of circulating CD34-positive cells is an independent predictor of coronary artery calcification progression
T2 - Sub-analysis of a prospective multicenter study
AU - Ichikawa, Keishi
AU - Miyoshi, Toru
AU - Osawa, Kazuhiro
AU - Miki, Takashi
AU - Kohno, Kunihisa
AU - Nakamura, Kazufumi
AU - Koyama, Yasushi
AU - Ito, Hiroshi
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Japan Heart Foundation (No. 12090021).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Via Medica.
PY - 2022/5/31
Y1 - 2022/5/31
N2 - Background: Decreases in circulating CD34-positive cells are associated with increases in cardiovascular events. We investigated the association between the number of CD34-positive cells and the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC), a marker of atherosclerosis, in patients with hyper-cholesteremia under statin therapy in a sub-analysis of a multicenter study. Methods: In the principal study, patients with CAC scores of 1–999 were treated with pitavastatin. Measurement of CAC by non-enhanced computed tomography and a blood test were performed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups: CAC progression (change in CAC score > 0) and non-progression. The number of circulating CD34-positive cells was counted using flow cytometry. Results: A total of 156 patients (mean age 67 years, 55% men) were included in this sub-analysis. CD34 positive cell numbers at baseline as a continuous variable was inversely correlated with annual change in the log-transformed CAC score (r = –0.19, p = 0.02). When patients were divided into high and low CD34 groups based on the median value of 0.8 cells/μL, the adjusted change in CAC score in the low-CD34 group was significantly greater than that in the high-CD34 group (54.2% vs. 20.8%, re-spectively, p = 0.04). In multiple logistic analysis, a low CD34-positive cell number was an independent predictor of CAC progression, with an odds ratio of 2.88 (95% confidence interval 1.28–6.49, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Low numbers of CD34-positive cells are associated with CAC progression in patients with hypercholesterolemia under statin therapy. The number of CD34-positive cells may help to identify patients at increased cardiovascular risk.
AB - Background: Decreases in circulating CD34-positive cells are associated with increases in cardiovascular events. We investigated the association between the number of CD34-positive cells and the progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC), a marker of atherosclerosis, in patients with hyper-cholesteremia under statin therapy in a sub-analysis of a multicenter study. Methods: In the principal study, patients with CAC scores of 1–999 were treated with pitavastatin. Measurement of CAC by non-enhanced computed tomography and a blood test were performed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups: CAC progression (change in CAC score > 0) and non-progression. The number of circulating CD34-positive cells was counted using flow cytometry. Results: A total of 156 patients (mean age 67 years, 55% men) were included in this sub-analysis. CD34 positive cell numbers at baseline as a continuous variable was inversely correlated with annual change in the log-transformed CAC score (r = –0.19, p = 0.02). When patients were divided into high and low CD34 groups based on the median value of 0.8 cells/μL, the adjusted change in CAC score in the low-CD34 group was significantly greater than that in the high-CD34 group (54.2% vs. 20.8%, re-spectively, p = 0.04). In multiple logistic analysis, a low CD34-positive cell number was an independent predictor of CAC progression, with an odds ratio of 2.88 (95% confidence interval 1.28–6.49, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Low numbers of CD34-positive cells are associated with CAC progression in patients with hypercholesterolemia under statin therapy. The number of CD34-positive cells may help to identify patients at increased cardiovascular risk.
KW - computed tomography
KW - coronary artery calcification
KW - endothelial progenitor cells
KW - hypercholesterolemia
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U2 - 10.5603/CJ.a2021.0151
DO - 10.5603/CJ.a2021.0151
M3 - Article
C2 - 34787888
AN - SCOPUS:85131269191
VL - 29
SP - 423
EP - 431
JO - Cardiology Journal
JF - Cardiology Journal
SN - 1897-5593
IS - 3
ER -