BACKGROUND: Classic coronary heart disease risk factors fail to explain the large coronary heart disease incidence gradient between Northern Ireland and France. The Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME), a multicentre prospective study of 10593 men, aims to investigate novel risk factors in these populations. We tested the hypothesis that higher bilirubin, a bile pigment possessing antioxidant properties, is associated with decreased coronary heart disease risk. METHODS: Bilirubin was measured in 216 participants who had developed coronary heart disease at 5-year follow-up and in 434 matched controls. RESULTS: Bilirubin was significantly lower in cases (geometric mean 7.95 micromol/l; interquartile range 5.32-12.33 micromol/l) compared with controls (9.07; 6.16-12.76; P=0.005). Conditional logistic regression, adjusted for classical and putative risk factors, showed a U-shaped pattern, with coronary heart disease risk significantly lower for bilirubin in the third and fourth fifths, compared with the first. Additionally, there was a significant quadratic relationship between coronary heart disease risk and fifths of bilirubin concentration (chi2=6.80, df=2; P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that bilirubin is a novel coronary heart disease risk marker in middle-aged men, with a U-shaped relationship observed between bilirubin concentration and coronary heart disease risk.
BACKGROUND:Classic coronary heart disease risk factors fail to explain the large coronary heart disease incidence gradient between Northern Ireland and France. The Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME), a multicentre prospective study of 10593 men, aims to investigate novel risk factors in these populations. We tested the hypothesis that higher bilirubin, a bile pigment possessing antioxidant properties, is associated with decreased coronary heart disease risk. METHODS:Bilirubin was measured in 216 participants who had developed coronary heart disease at 5-year follow-up and in 434 matched controls. RESULTS:Bilirubin was significantly lower in cases (geometric mean 7.95 micromol/l; interquartile range 5.32-12.33 micromol/l) compared with controls (9.07; 6.16-12.76; P=0.005). Conditional logistic regression, adjusted for classical and putative risk factors, showed a U-shaped pattern, with coronary heart disease risk significantly lower for bilirubin in the third and fourth fifths, compared with the first. Additionally, there was a significant quadratic relationship between coronary heart disease risk and fifths of bilirubin concentration (chi2=6.80, df=2; P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that bilirubin is a novel coronary heart disease risk marker in middle-aged men, with a U-shaped relationship observed between bilirubin concentration and coronary heart disease risk.
Authors: Arno Lingenhel; Barbara Kollerits; Johannes P Schwaiger; Steven C Hunt; Richard Gress; Paul N Hopkins; Veit Schoenborn; Iris M Heid; Florian Kronenberg Journal: Exp Gerontol Date: 2008-08-26 Impact factor: 4.032
Authors: Pernette R W de Sauvage Nolting; D Meeike Kusters; Barbara A Hutten; John J P Kastelein Journal: J Lipid Res Date: 2011-06-23 Impact factor: 5.922
Authors: K H Chan; R L O'Connell; D R Sullivan; L S Hoffmann; K Rajamani; M Whiting; M W Donoghoe; M Vanhala; A Hamer; B Yu; R Stocker; M K C Ng; A C Keech Journal: Diabetologia Date: 2013-01-17 Impact factor: 10.122