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Multicenter Study
. 2006 Apr 11;113(14):1760-7.
doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.588723. Epub 2006 Mar 27.

Association between human fetuin-A and the metabolic syndrome: data from the Heart and Soul Study

Joachim H Ix  1 , Michael G Shlipak, Vincent M Brandenburg, Sadia Ali, Markus Ketteler, Mary A Whooley
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Association between human fetuin-A and the metabolic syndrome: data from the Heart and Soul Study

Joachim H Ix et al. Circulation. .

Abstract

Background: Fetuin-A is a multifunctional hepatic secretory protein that inhibits the action of insulin in experimental animals. We evaluated the association between human serum fetuin-A and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a cohort of persons with coronary artery disease.

Methods and results: We defined MetS by the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria among 711 nondiabetic outpatients with coronary artery disease. The mean age was 67 years, and 82% were male. We divided participants into quartiles by serum fetuin-A concentrations. A total of 45% of participants (80 of 177) in the highest quartile of fetuin-A had MetS compared with 24% of participants (42 of 177) in the lowest quartile (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 4.2; P<0.001). This association persisted after adjustment for potential confounding variables, including hypertension, body mass index, and inflammatory biomarkers (adjusted odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.5; P=0.02). Higher fetuin-A quartiles were also strongly and independently associated with higher low-density lipoprotein, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglyceride concentrations and lower HDL concentrations (all P<0.01).

Conclusions: Higher human fetuin-A concentrations are strongly associated with MetS and an atherogenic lipid profile. Future studies should evaluate whether fetuin-A predicts coronary artery disease risk.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of serum fetuin-A concentrations in 711 nondiabetic persons with CAD.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Unadjusted and adjusted mean number of components of the metabolic syndrome among fetuin-A quartile groups. P for trend <0.001 for both comparisons. *Adjusted for age, sex, race, alcohol use, tobacco use, creatinine clearance, body mass index, hypertension, LDL cholesterol, fibrinogen, and CRP.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Association of serum fetuin-A quartiles with adjusted mean lipid concentrations. *Adjusted for age, sex, race, tobacco use, alcohol use, creatinine clearance, body mass index, hypertension, albumin, LDL, fibrinogen, and CRP. †Not adjusted for LDL because LDL was the outcome variable. ‡Not adjusted for LDL because LDL and non-HDL cholesterol are collinear. P for trend <0.001 for all figures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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